Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 24,350 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. cut its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 226,035 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 24,350 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.17% of Vulcan Materials worth $52,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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 $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. 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 report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC stock traded up $0.69 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $261.46. 115,148 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 966,950. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $258.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $258.07. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The stock has a market cap of $34.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.13, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted 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 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

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.