Bessemer Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 20.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,294 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. NBT Bank N A NY bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 122 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,547,599.64. The trade was a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.79.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of VMC opened at $276.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $252.35 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $286.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $290.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.73%.

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.