Swiss National Bank Sells 12,600 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 415,500 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.31% of Vulcan Materials worth $94,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 47.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $909,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,700 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,042,842 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $614,715,000 after buying an additional 194,337 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,481,652 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $501,343,000 after buying an additional 54,450 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 3.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,314,301 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $467,535,000 after buying an additional 83,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.4% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,330,004 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $268,688,000 after acquiring an additional 55,992 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:VMC opened at $264.44 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $187.20 and a one year high of $276.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $265.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $236.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 2.39.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 11.92%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 over the last 90 days. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. Wolfe Research downgraded Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.08.

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.