Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Trims Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lessened its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 40.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,589 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 3,719 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 472,194 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $118,251,000 after purchasing an additional 106,187 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 284.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,650 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,104,000 after acquiring an additional 33,051 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 1,618 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,715 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,470,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded down $3.45 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $268.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,172,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 940,122. The company has a market cap of $35.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.26, 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $242.14 and a 200-day moving average of $260.31. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group lowered Vulcan Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Argus raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $297.45.

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.