Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Sold by Equitable Trust Co.

Equitable Trust Co. trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 11.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,534 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,822 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. NBT Bank N A NY purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the third quarter worth $30,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 122 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $288.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $37.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $286.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $291.00. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $252.35 and a one year high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.27 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 24.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $333.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial set a $325.00 target price on Vulcan Materials in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $321.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,547,599.64. This represents a 20.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

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.