Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Stock Holdings Increased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 27.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,586 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,891 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VMC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $380,369,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 239.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $329,769,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $143,957,000 after acquiring an additional 408,803 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their price target 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $257.83 on Thursday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $259.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $257.89. The company has a market cap of $34.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.57, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1 year low of $215.08 and a 1 year high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 12.91%. Vulcan Materials's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 27.80%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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