Vulcan Materials Company $VMC Shares Sold by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) by 15.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,224 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,589 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $4,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials in the 2nd quarter valued at about $224,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.9% during the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,404 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.0% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 4,889 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 8.3% in the second quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 6,519 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,923,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mufg Securities Americas Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 6.9% in the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 3,908 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,153,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $283.00 target price on shares of Vulcan Materials and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $330.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.64.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:VMC opened at $275.11 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $286.74 and a 200-day moving average of $285.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.06. Vulcan Materials Company has a 52 week low of $252.35 and a 52 week high of $331.09.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 13.05%. Vulcan Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.42 EPS. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials Company will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 24.56%.

Insider Transactions at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 2,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.29, for a total value of $646,545.48. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,547,599.64. This represents a 20.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

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.