Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Acquires 4,664 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,610 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,664 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $17,906,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third 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. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,698 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,354 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $463,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 173,625 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,448,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $916,807,000 after purchasing an additional 78,271 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $238.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market cap of $31.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $254.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.41. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price target for the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised 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 note on Monday, February 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.67.

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.