Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 195.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,207 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,120 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 32,713 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,384,000 after purchasing an additional 10,991 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 17,706.3% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 47,899 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,874,000 after buying an additional 47,630 shares during the period. Smith Salley & Associates purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $3,185,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 205,506 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $46,652,000 after buying an additional 16,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 110,292 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $22,282,000 after buying an additional 3,318 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research lowered Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.00.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Vulcan Materials news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated 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 $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:VMC opened at $259.27 on Wednesday. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $264.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.05. The company has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $166.43 and a 1-year high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

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.