Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 2,400 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,767 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,400 shares during the period. 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 have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE VMC traded up $4.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $275.64. The stock had a trading volume of 710,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 944,500. The firm has a market cap of $36.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company's 50 day moving average price is $244.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $260.50.

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

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.