Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Purchased by London & Capital Asset Management Ltd

London & Capital Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,087 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,545 shares during the period. Vulcan Materials comprises about 2.4% of London & Capital Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. London & Capital Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $33,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at approximately $308,908,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,040,914,000 after buying an additional 857,210 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 598.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $187,771,000 after buying an additional 616,850 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,511,427 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $464,945,000 after acquiring an additional 491,957 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,345,703,000 after acquiring an additional 414,828 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $310.10 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 2.69. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $304.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $297.57. The company has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $331.09.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $342.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price objective on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, B. Riley Financial assumed coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.64.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,443,780. This trade represents a 7.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 8,937 shares of company stock valued at $2,687,784 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.