Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 297,384 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 47,384 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.23% of Vulcan Materials worth $76,496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $302.91.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC stock traded down $2.63 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $273.38. The company had a trading volume of 651,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 944,897. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.44. The company has a market cap of $36.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.80%.

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.