Artemis Investment Management LLP Lowers Position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

Artemis Investment Management LLP lessened its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 36.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 255,803 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 146,303 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned about 0.19% of Vulcan Materials worth $59,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded down $1.51 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $260.67. 795,442 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 980,192. The company's 50 day moving average price is $262.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $256.35. The firm has a market cap of $34.43 billion, a PE ratio of 36.97, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The company's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 27.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VMC shares. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

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.