Haverford Trust Co Makes New $239,000 Investment in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Haverford Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 953 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,933 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vulcan Materials by 150.1% in the 1st 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. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its position in Vulcan Materials by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 12,310 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares during the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 1st quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Vulcan Materials by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,005,692 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,368,273,000 after purchasing an additional 755,991 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vulcan Materials Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:VMC opened at $282.57 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $254.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The stock has a market cap of $37.32 billion, a PE ratio of 44.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. Vulcan Materials has a fifty-two week low of $209.39 and a fifty-two week high of $298.31.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The construction company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.34 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 7.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vulcan Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is 29.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VMC. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group began coverage on Vulcan Materials in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $349.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.46.

Vulcan Materials Profile

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.