Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Has $88.47 Million Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 343,921 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 11,936 shares during the period. Vulcan Materials accounts for approximately 1.8% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $88,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $1,332,431,000 after buying an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $74,760,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $86,425,000 after acquiring an additional 186,641 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James dropped their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC opened at $244.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $32.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $243.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.54.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current 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 an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

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.