First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Raises Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 18.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,197 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 144.0% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens upped their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $263.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Vulcan Materials in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vulcan Materials has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.00.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Vulcan Materials stock opened at $243.92 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $255.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $250.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.82. Vulcan Materials has a 12-month low of $190.51 and a 12-month high of $276.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Vulcan Materials will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 24th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 26.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.50, for a total value of $249,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $414,170. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.50, for a total value of $249,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $414,170. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, President Thompson S. Baker II sold 6,610 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.64, for a total transaction of $1,802,150.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 4,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,309.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,210 shares of company stock valued at $4,653,520 over the last quarter. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.