Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 24,187 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,346,422 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,187 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $366,592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NBT Bank N A NY bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 122 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock opened at $276.35 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $290.84. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $252.35 and a one year high of $331.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.86 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.89.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 24.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total transaction of $646,545.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,547,599.64. This trade represents a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $293.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.79.

Vulcan Materials Profile

Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a U.S.-based producer of construction materials that supplies the building and infrastructure markets. The company’s primary products include construction aggregates such as crushed stone, sand and gravel, as well as asphalt mixes and ready-mixed concrete. These materials are used in a wide range of projects including highways, commercial and residential construction, and public infrastructure.

Vulcan operates an integrated network of quarries, asphalt plants and concrete facilities to produce and deliver materials to contractors, municipalities and private developers.