Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 23,095 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,513 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VMC. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $999,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 298.8% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 71,582 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,413,000 after acquiring an additional 53,631 shares during the period. SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 24,905 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,406,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, one8zero8 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $450,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.7 %

VMC stock opened at $234.55 on Monday. 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 of $256.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.60. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $30.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.24, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, 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 objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

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.