Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 8,151 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB reduced its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,010 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 8,151 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.07% of Vulcan Materials worth $19,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 47.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $909,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,700 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,042,842 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $614,715,000 after acquiring an additional 194,337 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,481,652 shares of the construction company's stock worth $501,343,000 after buying an additional 54,450 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,314,301 shares of the construction company's stock worth $467,535,000 after buying an additional 83,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.4% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,330,004 shares of the construction company's stock worth $268,688,000 after buying an additional 55,992 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VMC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vulcan Materials from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $273.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of VMC stock traded up $4.79 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $259.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 764,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 786,171. 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 has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $264.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.05. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $166.43 and a 1-year high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

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.