12,102 Shares in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Bought by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd has made a new investment of $2.82 million in Vulcan Materials Company by purchasing 12,102 shares in the first quarter of the year.
• Analysts have recently upgraded Vulcan Materials, with UBS Group increasing its price target from $280 to $318 and rating it as a "buy."
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share, which will be paid on September 3rd, representing a 0.71% yield for investors.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,102 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $2,819,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company's stock worth $461,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,336 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 969 shares of the construction company's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 352 shares of the construction company's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,203 shares of the construction company's stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded down $1.19 on Thursday, hitting $271.58. 939,020 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,056,444. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $265.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $257.39. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.82.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.35 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid 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 0.72%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stephens set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.27.

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.