Harbor Investment Advisory LLC Increases Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 587.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,750 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $642,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,206,355,000 after purchasing an additional 90,157 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after buying an additional 741,631 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company's stock worth $859,171,000 after buying an additional 36,833 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,746,482 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $449,248,000 after buying an additional 177,918 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $380,369,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of VMC traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $265.52. 722,671 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 965,219. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of $254.19 and a 200-day moving average of $259.36.

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 return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $302.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

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.