New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 125,801 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,918 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.09% of Vulcan Materials worth $28,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 273.4% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 295 shares of the construction company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the construction company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 48.9% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the construction company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 330 shares in the company, valued at $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded up $2.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $261.24. The company had a trading volume of 671,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 780,454. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock's 50-day moving average is $264.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $166.54 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. Vulcan Materials's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials's dividend payout ratio is 26.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Five 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, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $273.00.

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.