Bamco Inc. NY Purchases 16,917 Shares of Vulcan Materials Company $VMC

Bamco Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 8.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 223,166 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 16,917 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY owned 0.17% of Vulcan Materials worth $68,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $308,908,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 12.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,824,987 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,040,914,000 after purchasing an additional 857,210 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 598.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 719,924 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $187,771,000 after purchasing an additional 616,850 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 48.3% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,511,427 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $464,945,000 after purchasing an additional 491,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.8% during 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 buying an additional 414,828 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC opened at $265.50 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $302.31 and its 200 day moving average is $296.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $34.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.05. Vulcan Materials Company has a 12-month low of $218.87 and a 12-month high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.41). Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This is a positive change from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,137 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.72, for a total value of $345,329.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VMC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $316.00 to $296.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vulcan Materials from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. B. Riley Financial began coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $345.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $330.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.29.

Vulcan Materials Company Profile

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.