Armis Advisers LLC Takes $342,000 Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Armis Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,329 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $342,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $134,694,000 after buying an additional 521,802 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 239.8% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $190,094,000 after purchasing an additional 521,508 shares during the period. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock worth $329,769,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $265.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,478,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 964,953. The firm has a market cap of $35.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.70, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The business has a fifty day moving average of $251.98 and a 200-day moving average of $259.90.

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

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials 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.