Erste Asset Management GmbH Boosts Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 1,198.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,644 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 9,824 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $3,225,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $497,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 3,195 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 28.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,321 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $775,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 31.5% in the 1st 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 owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $310.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $304.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $297.56. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12 month low of $215.08 and a 12 month high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.97.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.41). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 yield of 0.7%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on VMC. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $317.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen cut Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price target on Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.64.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total value of $2,146,279.35. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,937 shares of company stock valued at $2,687,784. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

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.