Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 8,151 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 88,010 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,151 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $19,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,815 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,363,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,627 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,033 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $916,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 87.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 510 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of VMC opened at $254.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.45, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.72. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $166.43 and a twelve month high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 26.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. 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 report on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a 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 company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.00.

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.