Graham Capital Management L.P. Lowers Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Graham Capital Management L.P. decreased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 29.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,706 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,294 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,982,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $269.52 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $241.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $260.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market cap of $35.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.35, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.73.

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.