Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Sold by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC lowered its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 81.9% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 890 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,038 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 122 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE:VMC opened at $303.45 on Friday. Vulcan Materials Company has a fifty-two week low of $252.35 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $286.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $290.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.08, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.05.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.28 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial set a $325.00 price target on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $326.54.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,547,599.64. This represents a 20.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Profile

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.