D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Sells 233,375 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 81.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,039 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 233,375 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $13,900,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 149.4% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,416,000 after buying an additional 5,627 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $514,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,719,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $612,000. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $994,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC traded down $1.22 during trading on Monday, hitting $274.29. 88,944 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 942,005. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $36.23 billion, a PE ratio of 40.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $245.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $260.41.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The company 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%. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 27.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Argus raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

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.