Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Purchased by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 70,790 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 4,826 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank owned about 0.05% of Vulcan Materials worth $18,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $265.12. 1,480,929 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 964,954. The company has a market cap of $35.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $251.98 and a 200 day moving average of $259.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.80%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VMC shares. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.