12,330 Shares in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 12,330 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,637,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 12,334 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,518,000 after purchasing an additional 4,331 shares in the last quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $19,628,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,868,444,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 254,044 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $72,459,000 after acquiring an additional 17,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palmer Knight Co acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,458,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $330.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $328.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $275.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52-week low of $252.35 and a 52-week high of $331.09. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $286.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $286.28. The firm has a market cap of $35.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.56%.

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.