Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Stake Boosted by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 60.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,163 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,191 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $9,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VMC. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 134.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 538 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,987 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,192 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 25,705.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 50,837 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,731,000 after purchasing an additional 50,640 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 934 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of VMC opened at $252.68 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. 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 quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.85 billion during 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

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.