Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Takes $944,000 Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,670 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $944,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $6.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $263.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 742,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 949,641. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.07.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

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.