Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Sells 1,211 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,239 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,211 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 254 shares of the construction company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the construction company's stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on VMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $273.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:VMC traded up $3.69 on Friday, hitting $267.32. The stock had a trading volume of 1,010,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 935,896. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $298.31. The business's fifty day moving average is $239.03 and its 200 day moving average is $259.80. The company has a market cap of $35.36 billion, a PE ratio of 39.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. Vulcan Materials's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Vulcan Materials Profile

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.