Trust Investment Advisors Has $1.57 Million Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Trust Investment Advisors cut its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,086 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 578 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.1% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 1,039 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 22.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,698 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,354 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $463,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 34,967 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,373 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $240.95 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $31.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $255.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.73.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

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.