Montanova Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Montanova Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 18.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 214,978 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,384 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials makes up about 1.1% of Montanova Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Montanova Capital LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $63,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 12,334 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,518,000 after acquiring an additional 4,331 shares during the last quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $19,628,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter worth $2,868,444,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 7.4% in 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 period. Finally, Palmer Knight Co bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter worth $9,458,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total transaction of $570,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. The trade was a 22.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director J Thomas Hill sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total transaction of $3,866,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 58,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,075,579.53. This trade represents a 19.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 18,212 shares of company stock valued at $5,083,125 in the last ninety days. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $269.62 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $286.03 and its 200 day moving average is $285.56. The company has a market cap of $34.94 billion, a PE ratio of 31.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1 year low of $252.35 and a 1 year high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 13.75%.The business’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid 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 yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $355.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 price target on Vulcan Materials and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.64.

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.