Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC lessened its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,970 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. Knowledge Leaders Capital LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $447,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,248 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $656,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,008 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 20,255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC traded up $2.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $261.24. The company had a trading volume of 689,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 597,884. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.73. The company has a current ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $34.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.43, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $166.54 and a 12-month high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 330 shares in the company, valued at $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VMC shares. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials 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.