Aquatic Capital Management LLC Sells 10,463 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 62.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,337 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,463 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 559,643 shares of the construction company's stock worth $143,957,000 after purchasing an additional 408,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,760,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $295.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE VMC traded up $3.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $267.32. The company had a trading volume of 1,010,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 935,390. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The firm's 50 day moving average is $239.03 and its 200-day moving average is $259.78. 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 (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.