Squarepoint Ops LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 86.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,718 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 32,348 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.05% of Vulcan Materials worth $17,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 156.2% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 37,400 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $9,620,000 after acquiring an additional 22,800 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 24,704 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,355,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,746,482 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $449,248,000 after acquiring an additional 177,918 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. now owns 22,006 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,927,000 after acquiring an additional 4,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,092,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.8%

Vulcan Materials stock traded up $2.09 on Tuesday, hitting $270.28. 583,255 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,064,942. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $35.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $250.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.00. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 27.80%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 2,832 shares in the company, 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 the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on VMC shares. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Stephens set a $315.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Three equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

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.