Graham Capital Management L.P. Has $2.92 Million Stake in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company by 62.2%, owning 12,500 shares worth approximately $2.92 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Various large investors, including Vanguard Group and JPMorgan Chase, have also increased their stakes, with 90.39% of the stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Vulcan Materials missed analysts' consensus estimates for earnings and revenue in its most recent quarterly results, reporting $2.45 EPS against an expected $2.65.

Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 62.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,500 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,794 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,916,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,699,662 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,896,031,000 after acquiring an additional 347,155 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,967,777 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,625,583,000 after acquiring an additional 370,434 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,507,892 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,518,291,000 after acquiring an additional 445,691 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,746,482 shares of the construction company's stock worth $449,248,000 after acquiring an additional 177,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,214,868 shares of the construction company's stock worth $283,429,000 after acquiring an additional 50,968 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $321.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $308.36.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE VMC traded up $4.18 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $292.23. 1,131,518 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,039,502. The company's 50-day moving average is $277.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.31. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $38.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.86.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 12.52%.The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.35 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.37%.

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.