Savant Capital LLC Boosts Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,836 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 11,723.8% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 425,538 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $99,278,000 after purchasing an additional 421,939 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,967,777 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,625,583,000 after buying an additional 370,434 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at $82,659,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,699,662 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,896,031,000 after buying an additional 347,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 310.6% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 299,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $69,979,000 after acquiring an additional 226,908 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total transaction of $208,394.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $845,521.92. The trade was a 19.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 5,818 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.26, for a total transaction of $1,700,368.68. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 11,369 shares of company stock worth $3,343,456. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $283.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $296.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.63, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.95. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $311.74.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 12.52%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 23.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VMC. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.58.

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.