Rhumbline Advisers Purchases 11,915 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 259,247 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,915 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.20% of Vulcan Materials worth $60,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 239.8% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock worth $190,094,000 after purchasing an additional 521,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.4%

VMC traded up $1.14 on Wednesday, reaching $266.08. 973,577 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 964,572. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $35.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $253.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.32. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. Vulcan Materials's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the company'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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Vulcan Materials

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.