Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,767 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,400 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $265.12. 1,480,929 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,098,131. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.02 billion, a PE ratio of 38.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business's 50 day moving average is $251.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.90.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 27.80%.

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.