Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Increases Position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,621 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 1,301 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $12,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $380,369,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted 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 worth $190,094,000 after purchasing an additional 521,508 shares during the period. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted 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 worth $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 559,643 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $143,957,000 after purchasing an additional 408,803 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 1.0%

VMC stock traded down $2.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $255.50. The company had a trading volume of 1,953,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 971,992. The company has a market capitalization of $33.75 billion, a PE ratio of 36.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $260.67 and a 200 day moving average of $257.47. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. Vulcan Materials's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.