Schroder Investment Management Group Purchases 19,020 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 188,441 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,020 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $48,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,425,000 after acquiring an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $233.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. 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 50 day moving average price of $253.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.78.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.