V. M. Manning & CO. Inc. Acquires Shares of 11,395 Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

V. M. Manning & CO. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 11,395 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,972,000. Vulcan Materials accounts for 3.3% of V. M. Manning & CO. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $497,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 4.9% in the first quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 12,833 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,994,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 143.9% in the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 106,540 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $24,611,000 after acquiring an additional 62,850 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 215,285 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,226,000 after purchasing an additional 17,571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 293,949 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $68,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,313 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.55, for a total transaction of $577,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $240,073.60. This trade represents a 70.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Denson N. 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 directly owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,780. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 13,336 shares of company stock valued at $3,908,336 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VMC. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $279.00 to $278.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $356.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.58.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.1%

VMC stock opened at $296.07 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $293.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.12 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.06. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $311.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.47% and a net margin of 14.19%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.28%.

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.