Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Purchases 180 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 10.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,915 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VMC. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 118.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,146 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,245 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 621.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 235,879 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $64,581,000 after acquiring an additional 203,166 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 16.1% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 491 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 3.0% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 202,539 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $50,367,000 after acquiring an additional 5,979 shares during the period. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 150.1% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,006 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,404 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC opened at $245.12 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $32.37 billion, a PE ratio of 35.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $248.48 and a 200-day moving average of $255.83. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $190.51 and a one year high of $278.79.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.47 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Vulcan Materials had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 12.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VMC shares. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. 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 research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.73.

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.