Waverton Investment Management Ltd Buys 14,747 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 211,881 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,747 shares during the quarter. Vulcan Materials makes up approximately 0.8% of Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $49,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $287.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vulcan Materials from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $405,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $764,640. This trade represents a 34.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of VMC opened at $257.27 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $262.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.76. Vulcan Materials Company has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The company has a market capitalization of $33.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.49, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 12.50%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.