Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 274,848 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,577 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $80,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth $30,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total transaction of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $335.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $329.62.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $289.44 on Friday. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52-week low of $252.35 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.