BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Boosts Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 43.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 227,570 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,565 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned approximately 0.17% of Vulcan Materials worth $56,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,130,537 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $533,551,000 after buying an additional 330,433 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $388,027,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,369,530 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $342,971,000 after acquiring an additional 91,318 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 3.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,332,649 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $331,404,000 after acquiring an additional 43,294 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stephens lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.46.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $281.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 2.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $260.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $254.60. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $209.60 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.13 billion, a PE ratio of 44.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.81.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 11.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 29.02%.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.