Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 33.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,548 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 881 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $806,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 20,782 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,718,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,916 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Choreo LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $544,000. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 3,909 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $887,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marco Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup lifted 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. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price 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. 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 price target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $264.44 on Friday. 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 has a 1-year low of $187.20 and a 1-year high of $276.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $265.53 and a 200-day moving average of $236.46. The company has a market capitalization of $34.98 billion, a PE ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

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.