Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 10,903 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 69,882 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,903 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $15,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $909,794,000 after buying an additional 1,447,700 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 6.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,042,842 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $614,715,000 after acquiring an additional 194,337 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,481,652 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $501,343,000 after acquiring an additional 54,450 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,314,301 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $467,535,000 after purchasing an additional 83,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.4% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,330,004 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $268,688,000 after purchasing an additional 55,992 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,958.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the sale, 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 this hyperlink. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,958.40. 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 quarter. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of VMC stock opened at $264.44 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $187.20 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $265.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 2.74. The company has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a PE ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

Vulcan Materials 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.