D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Reduces Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. trimmed its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 81.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,039 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 233,375 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $13,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 472,194 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $118,251,000 after acquiring an additional 106,187 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,377 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 28,634 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,366,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $612,000. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,454 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.3%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $268.91 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $242.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $260.37. The company has a market cap of $35.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on VMC shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.45.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.