Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. Sells 6,651 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. decreased its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 49.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,746 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 6,651 shares during the quarter. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.54.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of Vulcan Materials 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741 in the last three months. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $273.86. 178,116 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 820,603. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $250.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $226.01. 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 stock has a market cap of $36.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $162.00 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.