Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Acquired by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 131% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 11,978 shares valued at about $3.4 million.
• Vulcan Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.35 and revenue of $1.76 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates and up 7.4% from a year earlier.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 per share from $0.49, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $329.62.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 131.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,978 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,792 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,195 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,321 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $775,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 334 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $283.73 on Friday. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52-week low of $252.35 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.74, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a $0.52 dividend. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $329.62.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company NYSE: VMC is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company's primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.

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