International Assets Investment Management LLC Buys 47,630 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 17,706.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,630 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $10,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,516 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 36,517 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,290,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 56,628 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $12,855,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 20,255 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Patten & Patten Inc. TN increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 8,719 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,979,000 after buying an additional 711 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $262.88 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market cap of $34.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $166.43 and a one year high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.46 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last 90 days. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on VMC. Raymond James lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.85.

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.