Ballentine Partners LLC Acquires 268 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 29.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,164 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $304,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Unified Investment Management raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.7% during the second quarter. Unified Investment Management now owns 2,259 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,482,000. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 61,243 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $15,973,000 after purchasing an additional 2,232 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,122 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,934 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $765,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total value of $208,394.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $845,521.92. This trade represents a 19.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $321.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $308.36.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $299.28 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $287.89 and its 200 day moving average is $266.71. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $302.21. The firm has a market cap of $39.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 12.52%.The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 27.37%.

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.