KBC Group NV Sells 17,671 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 19.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,219 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 17,671 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.06% of Vulcan Materials worth $17,549,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 90,157 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $859,171,000 after acquiring an additional 36,833 shares during the period. Stockbridge Partners LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,746,482 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $449,248,000 after purchasing an additional 177,918 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $380,369,000. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $329,769,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of Vulcan Materials 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. This trade represents 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $266.24. The company had a trading volume of 421,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 980,655. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.51. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a market cap of $35.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average is $264.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $256.29.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VMC. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $302.91.

About Vulcan Materials

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.