Ethic Inc. Grows Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Ethic Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,850 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Unified Investment Management increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Unified Investment Management now owns 2,259 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 648 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 26.9% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,343 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 95 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 698 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.56, for a total value of $208,394.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $845,521.92. This trade represents a 19.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.5%

VMC stock opened at $292.06 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $296.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.79. Vulcan Materials Company has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $311.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market cap of $38.59 billion, a PE ratio of 40.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.92.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by ($0.20). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.52% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $303.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $286.00 to $279.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $313.17.

Vulcan Materials 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.