California State Teachers Retirement System Boosts Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 3.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 237,309 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 7,552 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $64,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth $282,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.4% in the first quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,054 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 62.1% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 30,226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,247,000 after buying an additional 11,583 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 4.2% in the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 17,207 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,696,000 after buying an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 190.5% in the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 126,474 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $34,517,000 after buying an additional 82,943 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president now directly owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $354,835. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 8,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $354,835. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.50, for a total value of $254,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $676,970. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,210 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,520. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

NYSE VMC traded up $0.07 on Thursday, reaching $274.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 767,454. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $190.51 and a twelve month high of $278.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.74. The stock has a market cap of $36.31 billion, a PE ratio of 40.07, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $252.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $254.63.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.32 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $322.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.