Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,293,316 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 3,931 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $397,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total value of $196,175.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,443,780. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,937 shares of company stock worth $2,687,784 in the last ninety days. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $345.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $320.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.14.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE:VMC opened at $295.67 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $304.88 and a 200-day moving average of $297.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.61 billion, a PE ratio of 36.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.41). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.56% and a net margin of 13.56%.The company had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 24.14%.

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.