Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) SVP Sells $196,175.00 in Stock

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) SVP Denson Franklin III sold 665 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,443,780. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC traded up $5.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $296.96. 727,792 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,002,328. Vulcan Materials Company has a twelve month low of $215.08 and a twelve month high of $311.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $293.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $283.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a market cap of $39.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.06.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its 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. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.47% and a net margin of 14.19%.The business had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.22 EPS. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth about $425,938,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $308,908,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 12.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,040,914,000 after purchasing an additional 857,210 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 598.5% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $187,771,000 after purchasing an additional 616,850 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 48.3% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,511,427 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $464,945,000 after purchasing an additional 491,957 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $279.00 to $278.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $356.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. DA Davidson upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.58.

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.