Two Sigma Securities LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Two Sigma Securities LLC cut its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 85.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,095 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 6,505 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after buying an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 559,643 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $143,957,000 after buying an additional 408,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $74,760,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $295.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC traded up $3.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $267.32. 1,010,739 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 935,390. 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 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The business's fifty day moving average price is $239.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.78.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials 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.