LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Lowers Stock Position in Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC cut its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,473 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,770 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials accounts for about 2.2% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $17,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,207,183 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,293,274,000 after buying an additional 311,539 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 1.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,924,285 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,437,669,000 after acquiring an additional 99,298 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 5.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,625,271 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,345,703,000 after acquiring an additional 414,828 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,558,791 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,449,844,000 after purchasing an additional 95,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 0.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,491,618 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $906,961,000 after purchasing an additional 27,531 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 7,135 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.81, for a total transaction of $2,146,279.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total value of $196,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,443,780. The trade was a 7.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of VMC stock opened at $304.76 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $302.44 and a 200 day moving average of $296.79. 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 Company has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $331.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.80 billion, a PE ratio of 37.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.64.

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.