Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Raises Stake in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 64.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,455 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,349 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $784,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.6% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,248 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.3% in the third quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.7% in the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,008 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 20,255 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $458,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VMC. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.00.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 330 shares in the company, valued at $85,958.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.1 %

VMC stock traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $255.21. 59,406 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 781,616. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $263.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.76 billion, a PE ratio of 36.54, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $166.43 and a one year high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS 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 issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Vulcan Materials Profile

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.