LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Cuts Stake in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lowered its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 58,473 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,770 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials makes up approximately 2.2% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $17,987,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total value of $196,175.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,443,780. This represents a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $304.76 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $39.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.07. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $215.08 and a 52 week high of $331.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $302.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $296.79.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The company had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 24.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMC has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $342.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.64.

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.