Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,169 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,456 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.12% of Vulcan Materials worth $41,972,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 149.4% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,416,000 after purchasing an additional 5,627 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,104,000 after buying an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VMC shares. UBS Group cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $235.63 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $245.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $259.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $31.17 billion, a PE ratio of 34.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date 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%.

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.