GAMMA Investing LLC Makes New $61,000 Investment in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 271 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 273.4% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 295 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $62,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC stock opened at $259.76 on Thursday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $174.78 and a one year high of $276.58. The firm has a market cap of $34.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.21, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.90.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total value of $312,576.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research cut Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.00.

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.