Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Summit Investment Advisors Inc.

Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,287 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,425,000 after buying an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $241.86 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $31.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.31, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $241.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.57. 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 $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly 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 company 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.