Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Position Boosted by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 239.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 521,508 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.56% of Vulcan Materials worth $190,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,206,355,000 after acquiring an additional 90,157 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 741,631 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $859,171,000 after purchasing an additional 36,833 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $380,369,000. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $1.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $269.52. 508,342 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 937,433. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $241.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $260.17. The company has a market cap of $35.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 a positive change 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 yield of 0.73%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $294.73.

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.