Headlands Technologies LLC Acquires 2,363 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 137.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,082 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,363 shares during the quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $927,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,503,484 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $909,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,700 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 30,160.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 541,359 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $109,365,000 after buying an additional 539,570 shares in the last quarter. Palestra Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Palestra Capital Management LLC now owns 560,315 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $113,195,000 after buying an additional 228,510 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,042,842 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $614,715,000 after buying an additional 194,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,535,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741 in the last quarter. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.00.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

VMC opened at $261.24 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $264.85 and a 200 day moving average of $234.89. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $166.54 and a 52-week high of $276.58. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $34.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.43, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.83.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.