Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. Acquires Shares of 11,256 Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 11,256 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,555,000. Vulcan Materials makes up 1.9% of Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VMC. Pathstone Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 242.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 3,399 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,406 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 20,266 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,239,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 9,905 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,001,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. now owns 12,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,470,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,028,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC traded up $3.71 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $256.35. 552,464 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 763,051. The company has a market capitalization of $33.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.88, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.84. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $190.51 and a twelve month high of $276.58. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $259.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $247.64. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The business’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.86%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.95, for a total value of $2,347,370.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $354,835. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.95, for a total transaction of $2,347,370.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,835. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.50, for a total value of $254,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $676,970. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,210 shares of company stock worth $4,653,520 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VMC. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Wolfe Research lowered Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup lifted 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. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

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.