Atala Financial Inc Purchases New Stake in Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. $MLM

Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,944 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,225,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MLM. Atika Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Martin Marietta Materials by 30.4% in the second quarter. Atika Capital Management LLC now owns 72,533 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,818,000 after purchasing an additional 16,900 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Martin Marietta Materials by 78.5% during the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,008 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,048,000 after buying an additional 3,522 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its holdings in Martin Marietta Materials by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 84,820 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $53,460,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Martin Marietta Materials by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 89,657 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,509,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in shares of Martin Marietta Materials by 31.6% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,365 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,988,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the period. 95.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Martin Marietta Materials Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE MLM opened at $663.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.02 billion, a PE ratio of 34.98 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $636.90 and its 200 day moving average is $620.52. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $441.95 and a twelve month high of $676.74. The company has a quick ratio of 2.07, a current ratio of 2.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The construction company reported $5.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.62 by ($0.65). Martin Marietta Materials had a net margin of 17.34% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. Research analysts forecast that Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Martin Marietta Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Martin Marietta Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MLM. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Martin Marietta Materials from $600.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Martin Marietta Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Martin Marietta Materials from $705.00 to $723.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. B. Riley began coverage on Martin Marietta Materials in a report on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $700.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Martin Marietta Materials from $610.00 to $631.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $676.63.

About Martin Marietta Materials

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc (NYSE: MLM) is a leading producer of aggregates and heavy building materials serving the construction and infrastructure markets. The company operates quarries, sand and gravel pits, and other extraction sites to supply crushed stone, sand and gravel, and a range of value‑added products for use in roads, bridges, commercial and residential construction, and other civil engineering projects.

In addition to its core aggregates business, Martin Marietta manufactures and sells asphalt, ready‑mixed concrete and related materials and services.