Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV Takes Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,427 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $232.90 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $30.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $253.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.41.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted 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 net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

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.