Quantitative Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,343 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,281,000.

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

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.8%

VMC stock opened at $269.62 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $285.56. The company has a market cap of $34.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.06. 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 Company has a fifty-two week low of $252.35 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.13. The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on VMC. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director J Thomas Hill sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.17, for a total transaction of $3,866,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,075,579.53. The trade was a 19.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.10, for a total transaction of $570,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 6,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,914,731.60. The trade was a 22.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,212 shares of company stock valued at $5,083,125. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.