Yousif Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Yousif Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,739 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 713 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,027,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 10,254 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,328,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,483 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $564,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,815 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,363,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $261.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $264.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.73. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $166.54 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58. The firm has a market cap of $34.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.