Financial Consulate Inc. Makes New Investment in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,992 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $613,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $308,908,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,040,914,000 after buying an additional 857,210 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 598.5% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $187,771,000 after buying an additional 616,850 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 48.3% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,511,427 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $464,945,000 after buying an additional 491,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 11,723.8% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 425,538 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $99,278,000 after acquiring an additional 421,939 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $285.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.71 billion, a PE ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52-week low of $215.08 and a 52-week high of $311.74. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $290.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $286.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.12. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 13.47%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,780. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,471 shares of company stock worth $6,054,615. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $356.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, November 3rd. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $279.00 to $278.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.58.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.