Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.82 Million in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 8,000 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,816,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last three months. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC stock opened at $255.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $33.74 billion, a PE ratio of 36.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $166.43 and a 12-month high of $276.58. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $263.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 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.