Two Sigma Securities LLC Sells 6,505 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Two Sigma Securities LLC decreased its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 85.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,095 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 6,505 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of VMC opened at $245.50 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $215.08 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 1.83. The company’s fifty day moving average is $238.50 and its 200 day moving average is $259.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $287.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group downgraded Vulcan Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $343.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $293.64.

Vulcan Materials Profile

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.