Sentry Investment Management LLC Trims Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Sentry Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 16.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 579 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 118 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VMC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,005,692 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,368,273,000 after buying an additional 755,991 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vulcan Materials by 1.9% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,494,455 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,226,627,000 after acquiring an additional 83,601 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the first quarter worth about $388,027,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vulcan Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $282,528,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Vulcan Materials by 271.0% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 823,141 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $186,861,000 after purchasing an additional 601,268 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens cut 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 note on Thursday, August 8th. Loop Capital decreased 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. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.73.

Vulcan Materials Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $236.27 on Friday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $190.51 and a 1 year high of $278.79. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $256.41. The company has a market cap of $31.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 2.13 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.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by ($0.12). The business 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%. Vulcan Materials’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Vulcan Materials’s payout ratio is presently 26.86%.

Vulcan Materials Company 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.