Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,763 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 worth $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,760,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $86,425,000 after buying an additional 186,641 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 32.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 736,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $184,353,000 after buying an additional 178,634 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.1 %

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

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. 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 0.81%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

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.