BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $189.92 Million Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Vulcan Materials Company by 10.2%, owning 814,038 shares valued at approximately $189.92 million.
• Various institutional investors, including Golden State Wealth Management and Wellington Management Group, have also significantly boosted their positions in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter of the year.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Vulcan Materials, with Citigroup issuing a "buy" rating and a target price increase to $321, while Morgan Stanley decreased its target price to $285.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 10.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 814,038 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 75,035 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.62% of Vulcan Materials worth $189,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,699,662 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,896,031,000 after buying an additional 347,155 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,967,777 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,625,583,000 after purchasing an additional 370,434 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,507,892 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,518,291,000 after purchasing an additional 445,691 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,746,482 shares of the construction company's stock worth $449,248,000 after purchasing an additional 177,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock worth $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VMC. UBS Group raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $321.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $308.36.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $0.07 on Friday, reaching $291.09. 609,873 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 820,802. The firm has a market cap of $38.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $275.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $259.75.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 27.37%.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.