Voleon Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,297 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.64.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded up $3.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $270.18. The stock had a trading volume of 844,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 935,535. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.81. The company has a market cap of $35.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 27.80%.

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.