John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,854 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials accounts for approximately 1.0% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $6,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,559,380,000 after buying an additional 741,631 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,546,000 after buying an additional 65,163 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $916,807,000 after buying an additional 78,271 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $826,644,000 after buying an additional 33,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $392,815,000 after buying an additional 137,365 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $247.55 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 company has a market cap of $32.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $264.32 and a 200 day moving average of $261.70. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $225.36 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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 issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 target price for the company. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.55.

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.