Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stock Holdings Increased by Axa S.A.

AXA S.A. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 248.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,881 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,617 shares during the period. AXA S.A.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,027,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on VMC. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Four investment 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $297.45.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock traded down $3.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $268.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,172,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 940,122. The firm has a market cap of $35.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.26, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $242.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $260.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31.

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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

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