Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Acquired by Douglas Lane & Associates LLC

Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 149,137 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,359 shares during the quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC owned 0.11% of Vulcan Materials worth $34,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $380,369,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,559,380,000 after acquiring an additional 741,631 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28,529.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 523,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $134,694,000 after acquiring an additional 521,802 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 239.8% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 739,003 shares of the construction company's stock worth $190,094,000 after acquiring an additional 521,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company's stock worth $329,769,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.2%

VMC traded up $0.59 on Thursday, reaching $266.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 321,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 963,729. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $254.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.36. 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 company has a market capitalization of $35.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Argus upgraded Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business's 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 of the company's stock, valued at $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

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.