Federated Hermes Inc. Has $18.46 Million Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 53.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,319 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,369 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Vulcan Materials worth $18,460,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. 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. Raymond James upped their target price 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. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, 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 research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last 90 days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $252.06 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market cap of $33.34 billion, a PE ratio of 36.11, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $166.43 and a 1 year high of $276.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $263.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.38.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The business 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 company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 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 paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Vulcan Materials 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.