Fulcrum Asset Management LLP Takes $554,000 Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,121 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $554,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 6.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,195 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 28.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,321 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 31.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 334 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $365.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $329.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total transaction of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

NYSE VMC opened at $289.44 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $283.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $292.70. The stock has a market cap of $37.56 billion, a PE ratio of 34.42, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.09. Vulcan Materials Company has a fifty-two week low of $252.35 and a fifty-two week high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.59.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The construction company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 24.73%.

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.