Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 97.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,331 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 189,166 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded down $2.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $255.50. 1,953,632 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 971,992. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.75 billion, a PE ratio of 36.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.42. The business's 50 day moving average price is $260.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.69.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.80%.

Insider Activity

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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 owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VMC. UBS Group upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.