Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Acquired by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 67.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,320 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,787 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 960 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the third quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 6,416 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,974,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.2% during the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,095 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $952,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.7% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 5,470 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,683,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Bollard Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.3% during the second quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 819 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE VMC opened at $258.55 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $298.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $295.80. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12 month low of $218.87 and a 12 month high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The company has a market capitalization of $33.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a $0.52 dividend. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is currently 25.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $335.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $321.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $326.29.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vulcan Materials 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.