Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Takes Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 144,137 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,522,000. Vulcan Materials comprises 1.2% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned about 0.11% of Vulcan Materials at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 71.7% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 122 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 8,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,547,599.64. The trade was a 20.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on VMC. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Stephens raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.93.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $270.63 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $289.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.95, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.06. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $252.35 and a 52 week high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.05% and a net margin of 13.75%.The business had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.56%.

Vulcan Materials Profile

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.