Voya Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 178.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 379,874 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 243,511 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $97,652,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group cut Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $249.58 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.37. 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 $33.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.44, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.61%.

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.