Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. $MLM Position Lifted by Tran Capital Management L.P.

Key Points

• Tran Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Martin Marietta Materials by 4.8% in Q2, making it the fund's 10th largest position, totaling approximately $32 million.
• Martin Marietta reported Q2 earnings with an EPS of $5.43, slightly missing analyst expectations, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.83 per share.
• Institutional investors own 95.04% of Martin Marietta Materials, reflecting strong interest in the company, with several firms increasing their positions during recent quarters.

Tran Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,309 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,693 shares during the period. Martin Marietta Materials comprises about 3.8% of Tran Capital Management L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Tran Capital Management L.P. owned about 0.10% of Martin Marietta Materials worth $32,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MLM. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Martin Marietta Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Martin Marietta Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Martin Marietta Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Martin Marietta Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its stake in Martin Marietta Materials by 193.9% in the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 97 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 95.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Martin Marietta Materials

In related news, Director Laree E. Perez sold 1,038 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $613.32, for a total transaction of $636,626.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,455,554.44. This trade represents a 6.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company's stock.

Martin Marietta Materials Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MLM traded up $1.84 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $620.41. 285,665 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 468,704. The firm has a market cap of $37.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 2.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $600.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $549.70. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. has a 12-month low of $441.95 and a 12-month high of $633.23.

Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The construction company reported $5.43 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.44 by ($0.01). Martin Marietta Materials had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 16.47%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.76 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Martin Marietta Materials has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Martin Marietta Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This is an increase from Martin Marietta Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Martin Marietta Materials's payout ratio is 18.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MLM. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of Martin Marietta Materials in a research note on Monday, August 4th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Martin Marietta Materials from $625.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Martin Marietta Materials from $600.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective (up from $515.00) on shares of Martin Marietta Materials in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Martin Marietta Materials from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Martin Marietta Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $622.63.

Martin Marietta Materials Company Profile

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc, a natural resource-based building materials company, supplies aggregates and heavy-side building materials to the construction industry in the United States and internationally. It offers crushed stone, sand, and gravel products; ready mixed concrete and asphalt; paving products and services; and Portland and specialty cement for use in the infrastructure projects, and nonresidential and residential construction markets, as well as in the railroad, agricultural, utility, and environmental industries.