Vulcan Materials Company (VMC)
Vulcan Materials is a giant in the construction world, providing the essential crushed stone, sand, and gravel that form the backbone of our roads and buildings.
Is Vulcan Materials Company a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Essential business model with high barriers to entry for competitors. Worth weighing: High valuation multiples suggest investors have high expectations. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Vulcan Materials Company actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Vulcan Materials Company fell as much as −24% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Significant national investment in modernising transport networks.
Prolonged economic stagnation leads to a halt in large-scale projects.
What does Vulcan Materials Company do?
Think of Vulcan as the bedrock of the American construction industry; they mine and supply the raw materials needed for everything from motorways to skyscrapers. Selling these heavy, bulky materials to contractors and government projects is where the money is, a business that leans heavily on local demand and infrastructure spending. How much the US government spends on public works is the key driver, since this is the primary engine that keeps their quarries busy.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and quality, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.8% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 2% over the year
- !High P/E of 32 - big growth is already priced in
- Essential business model with high barriers to entry for competitors.
- Strong earnings growth compared to the previous year.
- Deeply embedded in the physical development of the US economy.
- Growth screens low (24/100)
- Momentum screens low (25/100)
- Heavy reliance on government infrastructure budgets which can be unpredictable.
- Rising fuel and energy costs can squeeze profit margins.
- Sensitivity to interest rates which impact the affordability of construction projects.
What do Vulcan Materials Company's numbers mean?
How much money does Vulcan Materials Company make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Vulcan Materials Company pay a dividend?
Yes - Vulcan Materials Company currently pays a dividend of about 0.8% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
What do the numbers say about Vulcan Materials Company's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
When does Vulcan Materials Company report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Vulcan Materials Company is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-29 | $2.47 | $2.59 | Beat +5% |
| 2026-04-29 | $1.10 | $1.35 | Beat +22% |
| 2026-02-17 | $2.12 | $1.70 | Missed -20% |
| 2025-10-30 | $2.72 | $2.84 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-07-31 | $2.52 | $2.45 | Missed -3% |
| 2025-04-30 | $0.76 | $1.00 | Beat +32% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Vulcan Materials Company came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Corteva, Inc.What are the scenarios for Vulcan Materials Company?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Vulcan Materials Company?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Essential business model with high barriers to entry for competitors.
- Strong earnings growth compared to the previous year.
- Deeply embedded in the physical development of the US economy.
- High valuation multiples suggest investors have high expectations.
- Low dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. may not appeal to those seeking regular income.
- Business is geographically tied to the US, limiting global diversification.
- Heavy reliance on government infrastructure budgets which can be unpredictable.
- Rising fuel and energy costs can squeeze profit margins.
- Sensitivity to interest rates which impact the affordability of construction projects.
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A major shift in construction technology that reduces the need for traditional aggregates.
- A sustained, long-term decline in US public infrastructure spending.
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.