Sapient Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 919 Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 919 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $909,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,700 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $217,300,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30,160.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 541,359 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $109,365,000 after purchasing an additional 539,570 shares in the last quarter. Palestra Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Palestra Capital Management LLC now owns 560,315 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $113,195,000 after purchasing an additional 228,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 98.7% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 427,683 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $96,416,000 after purchasing an additional 212,432 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $260.47 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $261.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.86. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $34.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.32, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $166.43 and a 52-week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.38 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. 0.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.85.

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.