Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Trims Stock Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,697 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,938 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $11,587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth about $49,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VMC. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research cut Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $326.29.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $265.50 on Monday. Vulcan Materials Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.87 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $302.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $296.85. The company has a market cap of $34.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.05.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.56% and a net margin of 13.56%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

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.