Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Key Points

• Gamco Investors cut its Vulcan Materials stake by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 4,018 shares and ending with 27,095 shares valued at about $7.73 million.
• Vulcan Materials reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $1.35 versus estimates of $1.10 and revenue of $1.76 billion, up 7.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, payable June 5, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a $330.58 target price.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,095 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 4,018 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $7,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,195 shares of the construction company's stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,321 shares of the construction company's stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 31.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 334 shares of the construction company's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

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 transaction of $345,329.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $259.43 on Wednesday. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $252.35 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The stock has a market cap of $33.66 billion, a PE ratio of 30.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $279.35 and a 200 day moving average of $291.56.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. Vulcan Materials's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $335.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.58.

Vulcan Materials 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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