Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Bought by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,763 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $74,760,000. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,425,000 after purchasing an additional 186,641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 736,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $184,353,000 after purchasing an additional 178,634 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three 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, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.1 %

VMC opened at $240.95 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $255.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.73. The firm has a market cap of $31.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders 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 0.81%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio 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.