Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $694,000 Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 47.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,976 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,644 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $380,369,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 239.8% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $190,094,000 after acquiring an additional 521,508 shares during the period. Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock worth $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 559,643 shares of the construction company's stock worth $143,957,000 after purchasing an additional 408,803 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $92,856,000 after purchasing an additional 396,669 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were 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 owned 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock traded up $0.53 on Thursday, reaching $266.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 421,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 978,498. The business's fifty day moving average price is $263.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $256.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a market cap of $35.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.82. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 27.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Stephens set a $315.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.