MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $8.35 Million Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

MetLife Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,791 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 670 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $8,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,336 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 969 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 651 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VMC shares. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $321.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $308.36.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.4%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $291.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $38.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $273.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.65 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.35 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.37%.

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.