Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Boosts Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 59.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,302 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,079 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $2,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 71.7% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 103 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VMC shares. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $350.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 price target on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.93.

Vulcan Materials Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $268.98 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $288.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.87. The company has a market capitalization of $34.85 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $252.35 and a 12-month high of $331.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.89.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.13. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. The business had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 24.56%.

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.