Harbor Investment Advisory LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 587.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 969 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.7%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $263.10 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $252.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $259.27.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 27.80%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

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.