Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Trims Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL trimmed its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,750 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $9,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $388,027,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 75,149 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $20,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,556 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 36,018 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,830,000 after acquiring an additional 3,239 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 48.0% during the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,777 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,031,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 92,327 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,121 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on VMC. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC traded up $7.94 during trading on Friday, reaching $261.71. 673,485 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 686,519. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $190.51 and a 1 year high of $276.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $252.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.48.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 11.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.86%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.95, for a total transaction of $2,347,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,835. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.50, for a total value of $249,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $414,170. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,835. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,210 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,520 in the last three months. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

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.