Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $2.95 Million Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 12.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,463 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,270 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, March 24th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $275.68 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $246.69 and a 200-day moving average of $260.44. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The company has a market capitalization of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

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.

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