Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. Takes Position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 975 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at $209,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Vulcan Materials by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 14,383 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,266,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in Vulcan Materials by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 7,052 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,289 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of Vulcan Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,958.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP Denson N. Franklin III sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,453,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Melissa H. Anderson sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.48, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,958.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,017 shares of company stock valued at $3,344,741. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

VMC traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $264.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 809,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 699,108. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.84. The stock has a market cap of $34.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.60, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.83. Vulcan Materials has a twelve month low of $187.20 and a twelve month high of $276.58.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.11). Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 11.92%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 26.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VMC shares. Stephens boosted their price target on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Vulcan Materials in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Vulcan Materials from $264.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.08.

About Vulcan Materials

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.