Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Sells 32,884 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD trimmed its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,083,129 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 32,884 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned approximately 0.82% of Vulcan Materials worth $278,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $811,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 149.4% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,416,000 after buying an additional 5,627 shares during the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $15,719,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,104,000 after acquiring an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VMC shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $1.18 on Thursday, reaching $263.51. 427,170 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 933,887. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.49, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average of $238.43 and a 200 day moving average of $259.57. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.