Heritage Trust Co Takes $1.01 Million Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Heritage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,938 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,013,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 2.8 %

VMC stock opened at $242.29 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The firm has a market cap of $32.05 billion, a PE ratio of 35.37, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $244.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $259.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.