Horizon Investments LLC Sells 49 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Horizon Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,712 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 49 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 78.9% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 8.0% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,546 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.3% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.4% in the third quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 19,447 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,870,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on VMC. Raymond James dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $236.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $257.53 and a 200 day moving average of $260.63.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials 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.