Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 1,215 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 31.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,029 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,281,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,322,546,000 after acquiring an additional 65,163 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,660,931 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $916,807,000 after acquiring an additional 78,271 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,311,585 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $826,644,000 after acquiring an additional 33,061 shares during the period. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 9.6% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,568,564 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $392,815,000 after acquiring an additional 137,365 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $264.84 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $225.36 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $267.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.43.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.82.

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.