Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Acquires 498 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,602 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 498 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,916 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.7% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,008 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 20,255 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 3.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 295 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VMC shares. Citigroup raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VMC opened at $257.21 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $190.51 and a 1 year high of $276.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $265.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $242.57. The company has a market cap of $34.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.55, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.81.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total value of $1,802,150.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 4,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,304,309.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total value of $1,802,150.40. Following the transaction, the president now owns 4,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,304,309.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,610 shares of company stock valued at $5,324,432 in the last ninety days. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.