Bfsg LLC Acquires 417 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Bfsg LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,319 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Strs Ohio lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 74,103 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,822,000 after acquiring an additional 4,412 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,384,000 after purchasing an additional 10,991 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 81,319 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,460,000 after acquiring an additional 28,369 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 17,706.3% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 47,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Salley & Associates acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $3,185,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE:VMC traded down $2.19 on Thursday, reaching $254.21. The stock had a trading volume of 211,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 775,984. The company has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $166.43 and a 1-year high of $276.58. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $264.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.20.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. 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 0.72%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insider Activity

In other Vulcan Materials 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741 over the last quarter. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

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.