Securian Asset Management Inc. Cuts Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 45.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,547 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,908 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lone Pine Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $425,938,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,345,703,000 after buying an additional 414,828 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 993.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 396,628 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $113,126,000 after buying an additional 360,368 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at $98,911,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,207,183 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,293,274,000 after acquiring an additional 311,539 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of VMC opened at $279.33 on Wednesday. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52-week low of $252.35 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The stock has a market cap of $36.25 billion, a PE ratio of 33.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $281.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $292.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.00 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $325.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $329.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vulcan Materials Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.