Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 4,800 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Erste Asset Management GmbH lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 45.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,844 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,800 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $425,938,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $383,613,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $273,861,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 993.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 396,628 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $113,126,000 after buying an additional 360,368 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $98,911,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 3.5%

NYSE VMC opened at $279.33 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $282.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $290.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $252.35 and a 52 week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during 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%. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. 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 presently 24.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VMC shares. Raymond James Financial set a $325.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $326.92.

About Vulcan Materials

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.