Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Stock: Profund Advisors LLC Reduces Stake

Profund Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 25.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,200 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,809 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VMC. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,868,444,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $688,580,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $451,119,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,346,422 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $366,592,000 after buying an additional 24,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at $314,470,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Monday, September 21st. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $290.00 to $281.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Stephens upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $345.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $311.28.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $289.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $256.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $280.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Vulcan Materials Company has a 1-year low of $237.03 and a 1-year high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The construction company reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.84 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David Clement sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total value of $570,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,914,731.60. This trade represents a 22.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director J. Hill sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total value of $3,866,380.00. Following the sale, the director owned 58,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,075,579.53. The trade was a 19.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a producer and distributor of construction materials used in infrastructure, commercial, residential and industrial projects. The company is the largest producer of construction aggregates in the United States, including crushed stone, sand and gravel.

In addition to aggregates, Vulcan Materials produces asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and cement. Its materials are used in roads, bridges, airports, commercial buildings, homes and other construction applications.