Sei Investments Co. Boosts Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 12.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 168,343 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,971 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.13% of Vulcan Materials worth $45,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VMC. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 12,334 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,518,000 after purchasing an additional 4,331 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,318,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,293,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 254,044 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $72,459,000 after purchasing an additional 17,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,821,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total value of $646,545.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 8,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,547,599.64. This represents a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 price target on Vulcan Materials and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $293.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.79.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $280.20 on Monday. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1 year low of $252.35 and a 1 year high of $331.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $286.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.55. The firm has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.