Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Stock Position Reduced by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,300,183 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 13,464 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 1.74% of Vulcan Materials worth $656,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Syon Capital LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,053 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $871,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,017,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $538,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 743 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $281.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.53 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $281.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $290.24. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $252.35 and a 12-month high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on VMC shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $326.92.

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.