Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Leavell Investment Management Inc.

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,190 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,155 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $11,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter worth $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the company'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 owned 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC traded down $2.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $268.02. The stock had a trading volume of 586,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 982,225. The stock has a market cap of $35.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.82. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $256.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VMC. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Three equities research 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.