2,340 Shares in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Bought by Trexquant Investment LP

Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,340 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $546,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,699,662 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,896,031,000 after purchasing an additional 347,155 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,967,777 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,625,583,000 after purchasing an additional 370,434 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,507,892 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,518,291,000 after buying an additional 445,691 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,746,482 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $449,248,000 after buying an additional 177,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.4% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,214,868 shares of the construction company's stock worth $283,429,000 after buying an additional 50,968 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $7.35 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $301.78. The company had a trading volume of 808,077 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,028,858. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $302.22. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $280.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.37. The stock has a market cap of $39.87 billion, a PE ratio of 42.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.65 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.35 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on VMC shares. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $321.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $308.36.

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.