Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. trimmed its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 315,195 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,327 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned 0.24% of Vulcan Materials worth $71,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VMC. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total value of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock worth $3,344,741 in the last 90 days. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $258.26 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $34.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.00, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $262.80 and a 200-day moving average of $232.44. The company has a current ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $166.43 and a 52 week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released 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 business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given 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 0.71%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on VMC. Citigroup raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. 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 objective on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.85.

About Vulcan Materials

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.