Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Boosts Stake in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Key Points

• Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 20.3% in Q4 to 98,536 shares (about $28.59 million), and institutional investors collectively own roughly 90.39% of the stock.
• Vulcan Materials' latest quarter missed expectations with EPS of $1.70 versus $2.11 expected and revenue of $1.91 billion versus $1.95 billion, though revenue rose 3.2% year-over-year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 ($2.08 annual, ~0.7% yield), and analysts retain a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target near $324.08 despite several recent target cuts.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,536 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 16,625 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.07% of Vulcan Materials worth $28,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,345,703,000 after purchasing an additional 414,828 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 104.3% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 72,113 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $22,183,000 after purchasing an additional 36,823 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at $1,232,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $397,795,000 after buying an additional 3,931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $4,405,000 after buying an additional 5,787 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $292.00 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $288.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.54. The company has a market capitalization of $38.09 billion, a PE ratio of 35.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $231.76 and a 52 week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.56% and a net margin of 13.56%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $315.00 to $305.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Vulcan Materials from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $324.08.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

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.

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