Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Boosts Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 318,371 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 8,340 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $72,273,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VMC. Commerce Bank lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 4,442 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,916 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 2.7% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,008 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 20,255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Vulcan Materials from $269.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research cut Vulcan Materials from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.08.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of VMC stock traded up $2.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $259.25. 329,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 780,301. The business’s fifty day moving average is $264.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $243.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $190.51 and a 12-month 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.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 11.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total transaction of $1,802,150.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 4,784 shares in the company, valued at $1,304,309.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total value of $1,802,150.40. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 4,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,304,309.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total transaction of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,610 shares of company stock worth $5,324,432 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

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.