Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Purchases 13,539 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 27.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 62,403 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 13,539 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $16,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $241.86 on Monday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market cap of $31.99 billion, a PE ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $241.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.57.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 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.