National Pension Service Boosts Stock Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

National Pension Service raised its stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 190,993 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,107 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $54,475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 3.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,195 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 28.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,321 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $775,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 31.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 334 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.58.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $283.83 on Friday. Vulcan Materials Company has a fifty-two week low of $252.35 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $279.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $290.47.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 13.81%.Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Vulcan Materials Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.