Cetera Investment Advisers Sells 796 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Cetera Investment Advisers lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,977 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 796 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group downgraded Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens set a $315.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.45.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $270.93 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $244.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $260.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.79 billion, a PE ratio of 39.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.80%.

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.