Blue Trust Inc. Grows Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 61.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 868 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $223,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at about $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 149.4% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,416,000 after buying an additional 5,627 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the 3rd 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on VMC shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $303.82.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $264.84 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $225.36 and a one year high of $298.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $267.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.77, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.02%.

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.