RD Lewis Holdings Inc. Takes Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,660 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $999,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 19.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,320,570 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,332,431,000 after purchasing an additional 884,580 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $74,760,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 125.0% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 335,984 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $86,425,000 after purchasing an additional 186,641 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 32.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 736,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $184,353,000 after purchasing an additional 178,634 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $301.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $287.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC opened at $235.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.08 billion, a PE ratio of 34.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $257.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

About Vulcan Materials

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.