Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 26.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,253 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 15,843 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $10,046,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 50.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,384,000 after buying an additional 10,991 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 17,706.3% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,874,000 after buying an additional 47,630 shares during the period. Smith Salley & Associates acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,185,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 205,506 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $46,652,000 after buying an additional 16,942 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.1% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 110,292 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,282,000 after buying an additional 3,318 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,958.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total value of $312,576.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders 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

VMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Wolfe Research downgraded Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.85.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.7 %

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $258.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $166.43 and a 1-year high of $276.58. The company has a market cap of $34.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $262.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.26.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

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.