Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Purchases 3,642 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,086 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,642 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the second quarter valued at $308,908,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,040,914,000 after acquiring an additional 857,210 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 598.5% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $187,771,000 after acquiring an additional 616,850 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,511,427 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $464,945,000 after acquiring an additional 491,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 71.3% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 566,909 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $147,861,000 after acquiring an additional 236,058 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC stock opened at $311.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $41.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $291.60 and a 200-day moving average of $288.19. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $215.08 and a 12-month high of $311.92.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.12. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 13.47% and a net margin of 14.19%.The business had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In related news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total transaction of $196,175.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,443,780. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 20,471 shares of company stock worth $6,054,615 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $279.00 to $278.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Vulcan Materials to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.83.

About Vulcan Materials

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.