Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 4,686 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 6.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,337 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 4,686 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $14,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VMC. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wolfe Research raised Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded down $4.85 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $260.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 621,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 970,292. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.06, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $258.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were 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 $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

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.