Vulcan Materials Company (VMC) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 9th

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of 0.52 per share by the construction company on Monday, March 23rd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This is a 6.1% increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49.

Vulcan Materials has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 12 years. Vulcan Materials has a payout ratio of 20.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Vulcan Materials to earn $9.72 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 21.4%.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $274.42 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The stock has a market cap of $35.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.05. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $304.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.52.

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

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total value of $196,175.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,443,780. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,937 shares of company stock worth $2,687,784. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vulcan Materials

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,207,183 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,293,274,000 after purchasing an additional 311,539 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,924,285 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,437,669,000 after buying an additional 99,298 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,345,703,000 after acquiring an additional 414,828 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,558,791 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,449,844,000 after acquiring an additional 95,256 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,576,172 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,016,168,000 after acquiring an additional 32,012 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.