Scientech Research LLC Sells 1,524 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Scientech Research LLC cut its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 23.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,953 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,524 shares during the quarter. Scientech Research LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,352,507 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,206,355,000 after buying an additional 90,157 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,062,201 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,559,380,000 after buying an additional 741,631 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,348,418 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $859,171,000 after buying an additional 36,833 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $380,369,000. Finally, Alkeon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,282,001 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $329,769,000 after buying an additional 450,000 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC opened at $275.64 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $298.31. The stock has a market cap of $36.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.24, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average of $245.72 and a 200-day moving average of $260.61. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 12.30%. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 27.80%.

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.