Vulcan Materials Co (VMC) stock analysis
Vulcan Materials Co (VMC) clears 4 of this site's 8 mechanical value filters, 4 of 8 Buffett-style checks and 2 of 5 Lynch-style checks. At $268.72 it trades 95.5% above this site's neutral DCF value (a margin of safety of -95.5%). Its earnings quality rates Strong and it returns +1.9% to shareholders net of dilution. Figures are as of October 23, 2026, from SEC filings and market data refreshed weekly; this is educational analysis, not investment advice.
Data as of October 23, 2026. Refreshed weekly from SEC filings and market data.
What does Vulcan Materials do?
Vulcan Materials Company produces crushed stone, sand and gravel, the main raw materials for roads and buildings.
What stands out about Vulcan Materials?
- The share price implies 25.3% yearly growth. At $268.72, VMC's free cash flow of $8.05 per share would have to grow 25.3% a year, fading to 2.5% by year 10, for this site's DCF (10% discount rate) to match the price. This site's baseline starts at 8%, so the price asks for more growth than the baseline. Change the assumptions.
- Misses 2 of the 8 value filters. It fails Trailing P/E < 25 (30.73) and PEG Ratio < 1.5 (1.97); the other 4 pass and 2 were not evaluated. See every filter.
- Strongest against peers: debt / equity. At 0.52 (peer median 0.87) it ranks 9th of 32 among industrials stocks this site tracks. See the ranking.
- Weakest against peers: return on equity. At 13% (peer median 34%) it ranks 30th of 32 among industrials stocks this site tracks. See the ranking.
- P/E at the bottom of its own range. VMC trades at 30.7× trailing earnings; at the end of each of its last 5 fiscal years the multiple was between 32.5× and 41.3×.
How has Vulcan Materials' share price moved?
The interactive price chart needs JavaScript.
Is Vulcan Materials undervalued? The value diligence check
Every value-investing signal this site computes for this stock, gathered in one place: the same real numbers from the tools below, not a new score.
- Margin of safety (DCF) -95.5%
- P/E vs. its own history 30.7x · at/below its cheapest point Real range: 32.5x–41.3x over 5 years (net income per diluted share from each fiscal year's 10-K, paired with the real closing price at that fiscal year-end).
- Wall St. analyst rating Buy · 3.87/5 30 analysts this month: 9 strong buy, 10 buy, 9 hold, 2 sell, 0 strong sell (Finnhub). Down from 3.90 last month.
- Altman Z″-Score (bankruptcy risk) 3.48 · Safe zone
- Earnings quality (is the profit real?) Strong · all 5 checks clean Beneish M-score −2.71 · accruals −4.4% of assets · 163% of profit arrived as cash · stock comp 0.8% of revenue · share count −0.4% a year. From the latest 10-K (year to Dec 2025) - see the Earnings Quality Screener for how each check is scored.
- Shareholder yield (cash back to owners) +1.9% net Latest fiscal year (2025): dividends 0.8% + buybacks 1.3% − stock comp 0.2%, as a share of today's market cap. Over 14 years its split-adjusted share count rose 3%. See Shareholder Yield Leaders.
- Capital needed to grow (See's test) $7.03 per $1 of new profit · Capital-hungry · but only 10% return on capital Operating profit $684M → $1.5B, capital needed $8.5B → $14B, 2016–2025 (3-year averages); return on capital now 10% before tax. Buffett's See's Candies needed $0.42 per $1 of new profit, FlightSafety $3.20, a typical grower about $5. See Capital-Light Compounders.
- PEG (growth at a reasonable price) 1.97 · Above fair P/E 30.7× ÷ 15.6% a year of growth behind it. 225th lowest of 447 stocks with a usable PEG. Lynch's fair value is a PEG of 1; a very high PEG usually means almost no growth, a very low one a profit spike. See PEG Ratio Ranking.
- Compounder lenses (4) 2 of 4 · misses capital-light, price Capital-light growth: not cleared (only 10% return on capital); Profit is real: cleared; Cash to owners: cleared; Fair price (PEG): not cleared (PEG 1.97, over 1.5). See Compounders at a Fair Price, which also lets you move the PEG bar.
- Value trap check Clear
- Munger's Inversion Check 1 flag
- Standing vs. sector peers 3 of 7 measures above the median Compared with the 31 other other industrials stocks this site tracks: 1 in the top third, 3 in the bottom third.
- Dividend payout sustainability 0/6 · clean
How does Vulcan Materials compare with its peers?
3 of 7 measures sit above the median of the 31 other industrials stocks tracked here, 1 in the top third and 3 in the bottom third.
- P/E ratiolower is cheaper · peer median 25.8× 30.7× –21st of 32
- Free-cash-flow yieldhigher is cheaper · peer median 4.1% 3.0% ✕25th of 32
- Return on equityhigher is better · peer median 34% 13% ✕30th of 32
- Net marginhigher is better · peer median 13.7% 13.8% –16th of 32
- Revenue growthhigher is better, year on year · peer median 6.8% 6.9% –16th of 32
- Debt / equitylower is safer · peer median 0.87 0.52 ✓9th of 32
- Dividend yieldamong dividend payers · peer median 1.34% 0.77% ✕25th of 31
Peers are the stocks this site tracks in the same sector group, not every listed competitor. The bar runs from the weakest peer (left) to the strongest (right); the tick is the middle. Measures that don't apply to a sector (cash-flow yield for banks, debt for financials) are left out.
What would Buffett & Lynch say?
Buffett's checklist is built around durable, profitable businesses bought at sensible prices, and VMC doesn't clear enough of it yet. In its favor: VMC is currently earning a strong return on shareholders' equity, converts sales into profit at healthy margins, has grown earnings per share at a solid clip over five years, and earns many times its interest expense, so debt service isn't a worry. Where it comes up short: VMC and its five-year average return on equity falls short too, so this isn't just a one-off dip, carries more debt relative to equity than he typically tolerates, is trading above what a conservative discounted-cash-flow estimate says it's worth right now, and trades rich relative to owner earnings, the real cash the business could pay out.
- ROE (TTM) > 11% ✓
- ROE (5yr avg) > 11% ✕
- Debt/Equity < 0.5 ✕
- Pretax margin > 15% ✓
- EPS growth (5yr) > 7% ✓
- Interest coverage > 5x ✓
- Trading below intrinsic value (DCF) ✕
- Price vs. owner earnings < 25x ✕
- Bonus: returning capital via buybacks FY2025
Lynch looked for growth stories that weren't overpriced for that growth, and VMC falls short of his bar. In its favor: VMC is growing earnings at the steady 10-20% pace of a proper Stalwart, and isn't over-leveraged for a company of its type. Where it comes up short: VMC fails his signature PEG test, he'd call this pricey for the growth on offer, is asking investors to pay a steep multiple for that growth, and isn't generating free cash flow to match the growth story.
- PEG < 1 ✕
- EPS growth 10%-20% ✓
- Debt/Equity < 0.6 ✓
- P/E < 27 ✕
- Price/FCF < 30 ✕
Quantitative approximations of each investor's documented approach, not endorsed by either investor or their estates - commentary, not this site's actual ranking criteria. Buffett never published a numeric checklist: only 2 of his 8 checks here trace to his own documented concepts ("owner earnings," from his 1986 shareholder letter, and "price is what you pay, value is what you get," his case against fixed P/E/P/B ceilings) - the other 6 (ROE, debt, margins, growth, interest coverage) use commonly-cited thresholds that are not numbers he himself published. The 8 hard filters below (plus the Munger check and Graham margin of safety) are this site's real, mechanical screen and are computed completely independently of the checklists above.
Berkshire Hathaway's own filing
Which of the 8 value filters does Vulcan Materials pass?
- Market Cap > $25B $34.3B
- Trailing P/E < 25 30.73
- PEG Ratio < 1.5 1.97
- Price/Book < 8 4.05
- Price/Sales < 7 4.23
- EPS Growth YoY > -5% +2.8%
- vs 50-day MA (±12%) Not evaluated †
- vs 200-day MA (±12%) Not evaluated †
What is Vulcan Materials' margin of safety?
History tracking starts this week - check back in a future week to see how this has moved.
Where is Vulcan Materials in its 52-week range?
What is the short interest in Vulcan Materials?
5,307,437 shares short as of 2026-09-30 (FINRA settlement date). Reported twice a month, so this only changes roughly every two weeks, not daily.
What could go wrong with Vulcan Materials? Munger's inversion check
"Invert, always invert." Instead of reasons to buy, these are reasons to hesitate, not a verdict, and not everything worth knowing about a business.
- Margin of safety, even in the bull case -16%
- Short interest under 5% of float 4.1%
- Passes most of the 6 fundamental filters 4/6 passed
- Price run-up backed by value, not just momentum +11% off 52wk low
- Debt/equity stable since 2016 0.43 → 0.51
Doesn't cover circle of competence, management quality, or accounting concerns: those need judgment, not data.
How much have Vulcan Materials shareholders gained per year?
Earnings growth per share plus dividend.
An earnings-based proxy, not a stock-price total return - it doesn't capture multiple expansion/contraction or reinvested dividends. EPS from VMC's own 10-K filings; dividend yield is the current trailing yield on today's price, from the same weekly fetch as the rest of this site.
What do Vulcan Materials' 10-year financials show?
From VMC's own 10-K filings (SEC EDGAR): up to the last 10 fiscal years. Press any year's bars for the exact figures.
Frequently asked questions about Vulcan Materials
What kind of company is Vulcan Materials?
Vulcan Materials Company produces crushed stone, sand and gravel, the main raw materials for roads and buildings. This site groups it with Construction stocks.
Is Vulcan Materials trading above or below its DCF value?
At $268.72, VMC trades 95.5% above this site's neutral DCF value of $137.45 per share, a margin of safety of −95.5%. That DCF projects free cash flow for 10 years, with growth starting at 8% and fading to 2.5%, discounted at 10%; it is one set of assumptions, not a forecast. Test your own in the Intrinsic Value Calculator.
How many of this site's 8 value filters does Vulcan Materials pass?
VMC passes 4 of 8. It passes Market Cap > $25B ($34.3B), Price/Book < 8 (4.05), Price/Sales < 7 (4.23) and EPS Growth YoY > -5% (+2.8%). It misses Trailing P/E < 25 (30.73) and PEG Ratio < 1.5 (1.97). vs 50-day MA (±12%) and vs 200-day MA (±12%) were not evaluated, because the moving-average checks only run on stocks that clear the fundamentals first. The 8-filter list shows every stock that passes all of them.
What growth is Vulcan Materials' share price pricing in?
At $268.72, VMC's free cash flow of $8.05 per share would have to grow 25.3% a year, fading to 2.5% by year 10, for this site's DCF (10% discount rate) to match the price. This site's baseline starts at 8%, so the price asks for more growth than the baseline. Change the assumptions.
Is Vulcan Materials's P/E ratio high or low compared with its own history?
VMC trades at 30.7× trailing earnings. At the end of each of its last 5 fiscal years its P/E was between 32.5× and 41.3× (average 37.4×), so today's multiple is at or below the lowest of those years. Each year's P/E pairs net income per diluted share from the 10-K with the closing price at that fiscal year-end.
When does Vulcan Materials report earnings next?
Vulcan Materials's next earnings report is expected on October 29, 2026 before the market opens, with analysts expecting earnings of $2.95 per share. Dates come from the Finnhub earnings calendar and can move. In its last 4 quarters it beat the estimate 3 times, by an average of +0.8%.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Financial statements: Vulcan Materials's 10-K annual report for the year ended Dec 31, 2025, filed Feb 19, 2026 (filing index). Every earlier year in the 10-year financials comes from the company's older 10-K filings, all listed on SEC EDGAR.
- Prices and market data: quotes, P/E and analyst ratings from Finnhub; daily price history and the 52-week range from Twelve Data, both refreshed weekly. Short interest comes from FINRA, reported twice a month.
- How to check a figure: click any number in the card above to see its exact source, and read the Editorial Standards for every rule behind the checks.
About this Vulcan Materials Co analysis
This page shows every value-investing check the site runs on Vulcan Materials Co (VMC) in one place: the 8 mechanical filters, the Buffett and Lynch checklists, a margin of safety from a disclosed DCF, earnings quality, shareholder yield and how it ranks against its sector peers. The numbers come from SEC filings and public market data, refreshed weekly, and the same rules apply to every stock on the stock list. See Editorial Standards for the sources and the rules, or run your own filters in the stock screener.