Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 119.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,248 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $524,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during 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. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 969 shares of the construction company's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $4.21 on Thursday, reaching $265.33. The stock had a trading volume of 844,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 969,163. The company has a market cap of $35.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The business's 50 day moving average is $257.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. Vulcan Materials's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.74%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Raymond James decreased 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. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $302.91.

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.