Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) Stake Lifted by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 74.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,332 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 9,923 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,206,355,000 after buying an additional 90,157 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 valued at $1,518,291,000 after buying an additional 445,691 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $859,171,000 after buying an additional 36,833 shares during the period. Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% during the fourth 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, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $380,369,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price 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. Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded up $2.62 during trading on Thursday, reaching $263.24. The stock had a trading volume of 737,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 988,157. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. 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 stock has a market cap of $34.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $265.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $256.43.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

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.