Cetera Investment Advisers Reduces Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Cetera Investment Advisers decreased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 13,977 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 796 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,590 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,010,000 after purchasing an additional 4,399 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 23,232 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $825,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,442 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,943,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Avenue Asset Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 259.4% in the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 32,402 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,335,000 after acquiring an additional 23,386 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $270.93 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $35.79 billion, a PE ratio of 39.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $244.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $260.50. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 27.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VMC. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.45.

Vulcan Materials 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.