Howard Capital Management Group LLC Sells 1,117 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Howard Capital Management Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 139,076 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,117 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials makes up 2.5% of Howard Capital Management Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Howard Capital Management Group LLC owned about 0.11% of Vulcan Materials worth $32,447,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,559,380,000 after purchasing an additional 741,631 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after purchasing an additional 521,802 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 239.8% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $190,094,000 after purchasing an additional 521,508 shares during the period. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VMC. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded down $4.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $260.68. 621,664 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 968,880. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company has a market cap of $34.44 billion, a PE ratio of 38.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $257.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $258.65. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 27.80%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.