Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC Lowers Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC reduced its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,176 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,305 shares during the period. Vulcan Materials comprises about 0.1% of Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.0 %

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $232.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $253.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.41.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.61%.

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.