Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Acquired by UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC

Key Points

• UBS AM increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.4%, owning 939,596 shares worth approximately $219.21 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Vulcan Materials saw a revenue increase of 4.4% year-over-year, reporting $2.10 billion for the quarter, although it missed analysts' earnings estimates.
• Several analysts have revised their target prices for Vulcan Materials, with Barclays setting a new target at $305 and Citigroup raising it to $321, indicating a generally positive outlook on the stock.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 939,596 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 22,420 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned approximately 0.71% of Vulcan Materials worth $219,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,507,892 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,518,291,000 after buying an additional 445,691 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 11,723.8% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 425,538 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $99,278,000 after acquiring an additional 421,939 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 29,580.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 398,010 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $92,856,000 after acquiring an additional 396,669 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,967,777 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,625,583,000 after acquiring an additional 370,434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth about $82,659,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total transaction of $208,394.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $845,521.92. This trade represents a 19.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $1.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $293.89. The company had a trading volume of 89,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,017,006. The stock has a market cap of $38.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.03, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.76. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $302.21.

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

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders 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 0.7%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VMC shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $321.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $308.36.

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.