ING Groep NV Decreases Position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

ING Groep NV decreased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 54.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,563 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 30,304 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,964,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 26.9% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of VMC opened at $282.09 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $298.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $265.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $257.56. The company has a market cap of $37.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 12.52%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.35 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $764,640. The trade was a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.27.

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.