Advisors Preferred LLC Takes $261,000 Position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,100 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company's stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,336 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 969 shares of the construction company's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,203 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on VMC shares. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC traded up $2.48 during trading on Thursday, reaching $271.59. 705,964 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 908,711. The stock has a market cap of $35.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.52, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $265.21 and a 200 day moving average of $256.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. The firm's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 27.80%.

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.