Bessemer Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 20.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,294 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $383,613,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $273,861,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 121.4% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 717,409 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $204,619,000 after purchasing an additional 393,339 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 993.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 396,628 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $113,126,000 after purchasing an additional 360,368 shares during the period. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $98,911,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $276.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.89. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1-year low of $252.35 and a 1-year high of $331.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $290.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.86 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total value of $646,545.48. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,716 shares in the company, valued at $2,547,599.64. The trade was a 20.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. Stephens upped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.79.

About Vulcan Materials

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.