Griffith & Werner Inc. Invests $257,000 in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Griffith & Werner Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,000 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 worth $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 239.8% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock worth $190,094,000 after acquiring an additional 521,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded up $2.95 on Thursday, hitting $265.48. 1,379,023 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 958,158. The firm has a market cap of $35.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.77, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.09. Vulcan Materials 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 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

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. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.49 dividend. 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%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VMC shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

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.