US Bancorp DE Reduces Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

US Bancorp DE cut its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 53,970 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,770 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $12,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 13,769 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,126,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 6,083 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,381,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 135.4% during the fourth quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 13,039 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,960,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 26,551 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,027,000 after buying an additional 1,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $1,442,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total transaction of $1,802,150.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 4,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,309.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total transaction of $1,802,150.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 4,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,309.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,410 shares of company stock worth $5,011,856 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VMC. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $259.25 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.43. The company has a market cap of $34.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $190.51 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.74.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.86%.

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.