Symmetry Investments LP Sells 16,158 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Symmetry Investments LP lowered its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 82.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,463 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 16,158 shares during the quarter. Symmetry Investments LP's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded down $2.85 on Monday, reaching $244.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 300,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 925,289. The company has a market capitalization of $32.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $238.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. Analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 28.61%.

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.