LPL Financial LLC Boosts Stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 9.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 90,135 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,549 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.07% of Vulcan Materials worth $21,028,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,507,892 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,518,291,000 after purchasing an additional 445,691 shares in the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% during 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. Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $329,769,000 after buying an additional 450,000 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,163,900 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $299,390,000 after buying an additional 96,724 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 928,469 shares of the construction company's stock worth $238,831,000 after acquiring an additional 50,327 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related 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 value of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC traded up $5.10 on Friday, reaching $287.20. 215,187 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,061,576. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The stock has a market cap of $37.94 billion, a PE ratio of 40.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $266.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.98.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.35 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 27.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VMC. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Stephens set a $315.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $304.27.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.