Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 75 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 697 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $158,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.6% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,248 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $656,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.7% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,008 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 20,255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 2.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up previously from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.85.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $258.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $34.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $166.43 and a twelve month high of $276.58. The company’s fifty day moving average is $262.80 and its 200 day moving average is $232.44.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The construction company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 11.99%. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vulcan Materials

In other news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Randy L. Pigg sold 307 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.27, for a total transaction of $78,367.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,991.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.48, for a total value of $862,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,844.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.