Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,623 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 29.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 472,194 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $118,251,000 after acquiring an additional 106,187 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $811,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.9% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 25,176 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $671,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $242.29 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $32.05 billion, a PE ratio of 35.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 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.