Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $656.06 Million Stock Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,300,183 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 13,464 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $656,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VMC. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 122 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $326.92.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $281.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.53 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $281.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $290.24. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52-week low of $252.35 and a 52-week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 24.73%.

Vulcan Materials 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.