Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 1,862 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,686 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,862 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $6,512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 10.4% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,180 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 4,685 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $861,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 19,808 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,639,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at $470,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC opened at $255.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.54, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $263.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.60. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Vulcan Materials has a 52-week low of $166.43 and a 52-week high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.00.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total value of $2,091,460.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Vulcan Materials news, insider Stanley G. Bass sold 8,310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.68, for a total transaction of $2,091,460.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,311 shares in the company, valued at $7,376,992.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $483,991.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.