Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Has $71.55 Million Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. cut its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 315,195 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,327 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $71,552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of Vulcan Materials 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 owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, 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 value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VMC. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $236.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.85.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $258.26 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market cap of $34.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $262.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.44. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $166.43 and a fifty-two week high of $276.58.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is currently 26.36%.

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.