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Vulcan Materials Company (VMC)
NYSE:VMC
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Vulcan Materials (VMC) AI Stock Analysis

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VMC

Vulcan Materials

(NYSE:VMC)

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Neutral 68 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:68Neutral
Price Target:
$309.00
▲(5.93% Upside)
Action:Downgraded
Date:05/12/26
The score is driven primarily by strong underlying profitability and cash generation (expanding margins and solid operating cash flow), supported by a generally positive earnings-call outlook with reaffirmed EBITDA guidance. This is tempered by a weak/mixed technical setup and a demanding valuation (high P/E with a low dividend yield), which increases downside sensitivity if costs or demand weaken.
Positive Factors
Margin Expansion & Profitability
Sustained margin expansion over multiple years indicates durable pricing power, improved unit economics, and structural cost control. Higher margins and ~19.9% operating profitability boost resilience through cycles, fund reinvestment and returns, and raise long‑term earnings stability even if volumes fluctuate.
Negative Factors
Energy/Diesel Cost Exposure
High transport fuel usage makes unit costs sensitive to diesel price swings. Cost passthroughs lag market moves, so sustained energy inflation can compress margins and cash flow before pricing and surcharges fully offset the impact, increasing earnings volatility over the medium term.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Margin Expansion & Profitability
Sustained margin expansion over multiple years indicates durable pricing power, improved unit economics, and structural cost control. Higher margins and ~19.9% operating profitability boost resilience through cycles, fund reinvestment and returns, and raise long‑term earnings stability even if volumes fluctuate.
Read all positive factors

Vulcan Materials Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Aggregates Shipped
Aggregates Shipped
Measures the volume of aggregates delivered, indicating demand for construction materials and the company’s capacity to meet market needs.
Chart InsightsShipments have recovered post‑pandemic into a seasonal, project‑driven pattern with late‑2025 showing the strongest momentum—driven largely by large projects and the data‑center backlog rather than a residential rebound. Management’s 2026 guidance for only modest volume growth (1–3%) and emphasis on pricing/mix improvements imply earnings upside will come more from higher cash gross profit per ton than big tonnage gains. Watch mix shifts toward lower‑priced base/fill and single‑family housing weakness as the key risks to sustaining shipment momentum.
Data provided by:The Fly

Vulcan Materials (VMC) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Vulcan Materials Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
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 Aggregates segment provides ...
How the Company Makes Money
Vulcan makes money primarily by selling construction aggregates (crushed stone, sand, and gravel), which are its largest revenue stream. Revenue is generated by (1) extracting and processing rock and other raw materials at quarries/pits, then sell...

Vulcan Materials Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Apr 29, 2026
(Q1-2026)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 30, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call conveyed a generally positive operational and financial picture: Q1 delivered higher adjusted EBITDA (+9%), shipment growth (+5%), improved mix-adjusted pricing (+4%), margin expansion, strong cash generation ($1.8B TTM) and a healthy balance sheet (debt down ~$350M; net leverage 1.9x). Management reaffirmed full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance ($2.4B–$2.6B), highlighted an advantaged footprint with stronger public and data-center driven demand, active M&A/greenfield pipeline and ongoing cost discipline. The primary near-term negatives are energy/diesel-driven cost pressure (estimated ~$25M Q2 impact), modestly lower pricing vs. tougher comps and continued residential weakness. Overall, the balance of material positives (profitability, cash flow, balance sheet, pricing traction and market positioning) outweighs the identified near-term headwinds.
Positive Updates
Adjusted EBITDA Growth
Generated $447 million of adjusted EBITDA in Q1, a 9% increase versus the prior year, and reaffirmed full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion.
Negative Updates
Short-Term Diesel/Energy Cost Headwind
Retail diesel price increase generated an expected near-term headwind of approximately $25 million in Q2; aggregates freight-adjusted unit cash cost of sales increased 4% year-over-year in Q1. Management expects second-quarter costs to be most impacted before pricing actions flow through.
Read all updates
Q1-2026 Updates
Negative
Adjusted EBITDA Growth
Generated $447 million of adjusted EBITDA in Q1, a 9% increase versus the prior year, and reaffirmed full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Vulcan reiterated full‑year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $2.4–$2.6 billion after a solid Q1: adjusted EBITDA was $447 million (up 9% YoY), aggregate shipments rose 5% and mix‑adjusted aggregates freight‑adjusted price improved 4% while aggregates freight‑adjusted unit cash cost of sales increased 4%; trailing 12‑month aggregate cash gross profit per ton was $11.38 (management target $20/ton). Management expects 2026 shipments growth and accelerating pricing (midyear increases underway), sees a near‑term diesel headwind of roughly $25 million in Q2 (≈57 million gallons burned annually) that could push Q2 cash costs toward the high‑single‑digit YoY range but still expects low‑single‑digit cost growth for the full year; trailing 12‑month cash from operations was $1.8 billion, TTM capex $686 million (≈70% maintenance, 30% growth), capital returns >$800 million (dividends $262M, buybacks $550M including $149M in Q1), total debt $4.6 billion (≈$350M lower YoY) with net debt/adjusted EBITDA ~1.9x, TTM SG&A $562M (7% of revenue, down 20 bps) and trailing‑12‑month ROIC 16% (up 30 bps), while trailing‑12‑month highway awards in their markets are +12% and public infrastructure awards +17%, and ~60% of large projects sit within 50 miles of a Vulcan facility.

Vulcan Materials Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Fundamentals are strong: margins expanded materially (gross margin ~21% in 2022 to ~27.6% TTM; net margin ~7.9% to ~13.9% TTM) and operating cash flow is robust (~$1.8B TTM) with good earnings quality (OCF ~1.81x net income). Offsetting this are cyclical/uneven revenue patterns and recent free-cash-flow volatility (FCF ~$1.12B TTM; FCF ~0.62x net income; negative FCF growth TTM). Leverage is manageable (debt-to-equity ~0.60 TTM), but absolute debt remains meaningful.
Income Statement
86
Very Positive
Balance Sheet
74
Positive
Cash Flow
72
Positive
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue8.05B7.93B7.42B7.78B7.32B5.55B
Gross Profit2.22B2.17B2.00B1.95B1.56B1.37B
EBITDA2.62B2.57B1.98B2.04B1.53B1.47B
Net Income1.12B1.08B911.90M933.20M575.60M670.80M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets16.67B16.70B17.10B14.55B14.23B13.68B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments140.20M183.30M559.70M931.10M161.40M235.00M
Total Debt5.09B5.41B5.83B4.39B4.52B4.52B
Total Liabilities8.20B8.15B8.96B7.04B7.28B7.11B
Stockholders Equity8.45B8.53B8.12B7.48B6.93B6.54B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.12B1.14B806.10M664.20M535.60M560.60M
Operating Cash Flow1.80B1.81B1.41B1.54B1.15B1.01B
Investing Cash Flow-577.60M-529.20M-2.81B-163.50M-1.05B-1.87B
Financing Cash Flow-1.27B-1.70B1.06B-585.60M-175.20M-94.30M

Vulcan Materials Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price291.71
Price Trends
50DMA
279.88
Negative
100DMA
291.28
Negative
200DMA
291.76
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-5.46
Positive
RSI
28.54
Positive
STOCH
6.76
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For VMC, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 291.71 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 285.28, above the 50-day MA of 279.88, and below the 200-day MA of 291.76, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -5.46 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 28.54 is Positive, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 6.76 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for VMC.

Vulcan Materials Risk Analysis

Vulcan Materials disclosed 46 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Vulcan Materials reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Vulcan Materials Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
74
Outperform
$19.08B1.843.40%0.74%5.01%-67.33%
72
Outperform
$33.37B5.8725.07%0.51%-1.28%140.98%
70
Outperform
$6.18B7.6928.27%0.47%2.13%-4.85%
68
Neutral
$34.56B54.2713.10%0.67%7.41%19.13%
61
Neutral
$10.43B7.12-0.05%2.87%2.86%-36.73%
55
Neutral
$4.23B-14.619.35%9.57%-18.90%
* Basic Materials Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
VMC
Vulcan Materials
259.46
-9.18
-3.42%
CX
Cemex SAB
12.27
5.33
76.75%
EXP
Eagle Materials
199.88
-13.83
-6.47%
MLM
Martin Marietta Materials
532.65
-24.40
-4.38%
CRH
CRH plc
KNF
Knife River Corporation
70.83
-25.96
-26.82%

Vulcan Materials Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Vulcan Materials President Announces Upcoming Retirement Transition
Positive
May 11, 2026
Vulcan Materials Company announced that President Thompson S. Baker II notified the company on May 11, 2026, that he will retire from his role effective July 15, 2026, marking an upcoming leadership transition at the construction materials produce...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: May 12, 2026