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

Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 188,441 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 19,020 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.14% of Vulcan Materials worth $48,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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 cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Three research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.67.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $233.82 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $30.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $253.19 and a 200-day moving average of $260.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost 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 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.