Scientech Research LLC Has $1.27 Million Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Scientech Research LLC lessened its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 23.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,953 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,524 shares during the quarter. Scientech Research LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,946 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $501,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 211.6% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 4,335 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,944 shares during the last quarter. Skye Global Management LP grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 174.4% in the 4th quarter. Skye Global Management LP now owns 428,000 shares of the construction company's stock worth $110,094,000 after purchasing an additional 272,000 shares during the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $688,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 334,561 shares of the construction company's stock worth $86,059,000 after acquiring an additional 25,986 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VMC. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Insider Activity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded down $2.63 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $273.38. The company had a trading volume of 651,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 944,897. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $246.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $260.44. The firm has a market cap of $36.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.91, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. 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 has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31.

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

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

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

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.