Xn LP Sells 109,388 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Xn LP lessened its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 15.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 608,386 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 109,388 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials accounts for about 6.2% of Xn LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Xn LP’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $156,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.1%

Vulcan Materials stock opened at $275.68 on Tuesday. Vulcan Materials has a 1-year low of $215.08 and a 1-year high of $298.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.44.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 27.80%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.91.

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.