Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Invests $753,000 in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,448 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $753,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.8% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 175,458 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $45,763,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,345,703,000 after purchasing an additional 414,828 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 12.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,040,914,000 after purchasing an additional 857,210 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 104.3% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 72,113 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,183,000 after buying an additional 36,823 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 19.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 256,789 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,976,000 after purchasing an additional 41,504 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $308.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company has a market cap of $40.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $304.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.35. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 24.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, November 3rd. B. Riley Financial started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, January 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,780. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,937 shares of company stock worth $2,687,784 in the last quarter. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.