LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Has $14.84 Million Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC reduced its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,387 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,503 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials accounts for approximately 2.2% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $14,844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC traded up $0.56 on Thursday, reaching $273.35. 226,683 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 821,688. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. Vulcan Materials has a 12 month low of $162.00 and a 12 month high of $276.58. The stock has a market cap of $36.16 billion, a PE ratio of 39.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.01.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VMC. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.54.

About Vulcan Materials

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.