Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,703 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $13,852,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,005,692 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,368,273,000 after buying an additional 755,991 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,494,455 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,226,627,000 after purchasing an additional 83,601 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $388,027,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $282,528,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 823,141 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $186,861,000 after purchasing an additional 601,268 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $236.27 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $31.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $248.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $256.41. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $190.51 and a one year high of $278.79.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 12.07%. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.82 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Stephens decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.73.

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.