GTS Securities LLC Reduces Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

GTS Securities LLC lessened its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 89.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,227 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,214 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $461,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded down $1.97 during trading on Monday, hitting $263.10. The company had a trading volume of 818,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 962,894. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $252.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.27. 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 fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. Vulcan Materials's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.