NorthRock Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

NorthRock Partners LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,518 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $390,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings 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 worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VMC. Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Stephens set a $315.00 target price on Vulcan Materials and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Vulcan Materials stock traded down $2.63 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $273.38. 651,195 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 943,391. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.91, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83.

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

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $405,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.