Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by abrdn plc

abrdn plc grew its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 65.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,031 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,114 shares during the quarter. abrdn plc’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $12,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Strs Ohio grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 74,103 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,822,000 after purchasing an additional 4,412 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,384,000 after purchasing an additional 10,991 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 53.6% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 81,319 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,460,000 after purchasing an additional 28,369 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 17,706.3% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 47,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smith Salley & Associates bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $3,185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, 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 objective for the company. 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $258.54 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $166.43 and a 12-month high of $276.58. The company has a market capitalization of $34.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $264.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.37. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.