J. W. Coons Advisors LLC Cuts Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

J. W. Coons Advisors LLC decreased its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,911 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 339 shares during the quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VMC. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 134.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 538 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.3% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.7% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,192 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 25,705.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 50,837 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $12,731,000 after acquiring an additional 50,640 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.2% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 934 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $252.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $225.36 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $33.37 billion, a PE ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average of $266.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.66.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

About Vulcan Materials

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.