8,000 Shares in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 8,000 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,816,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth about $41,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded down $3.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $252.06. The company had a trading volume of 613,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 789,014. The stock has a market cap of $33.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.11, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $263.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.60. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $166.43 and a 52-week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. Vulcan Materials's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.