MQS Management LLC Acquires Shares of 4,928 Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,928 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,000. Vulcan Materials makes up about 0.8% of MQS Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,345,703,000 after buying an additional 414,828 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,293,316 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $397,795,000 after buying an additional 3,931 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,232,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 67.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 14,320 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,405,000 after buying an additional 5,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 67.3% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 29,081 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,946,000 after buying an additional 11,699 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $260.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $252.35 and a twelve month high of $331.09. The company has a market cap of $33.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $290.96.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. DA Davidson cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Raymond James Financial set a $325.00 target price on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 target price on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.58.

About Vulcan Materials

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.