Cemex (CX) Competitors

Cemex (NYSE:CX) and Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) are both large-cap construction companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, earnings, dividends, valuation and profitability.

Do analysts recommend CX or VMC?

Cemex currently has a consensus target price of $8.53, suggesting a potential downside of 5.75%. Vulcan Materials has a consensus target price of $308.36, suggesting a potential upside of 5.92%. Given Vulcan Materials' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Vulcan Materials is more favorable than Cemex.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cemex	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.38
Vulcan Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Does the media prefer CX or VMC?

In the previous week, Vulcan Materials had 25 more articles in the media than Cemex. MarketBeat recorded 33 mentions for Vulcan Materials and 8 mentions for Cemex. Vulcan Materials' average media sentiment score of 1.38 beat Cemex's score of 0.93 indicating that Vulcan Materials is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Cemex	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Vulcan Materials	24 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher valuation and earnings, CX or VMC?

Cemex has higher revenue and earnings than Vulcan Materials. Cemex is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vulcan Materials, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cemex	$16.20B	0.81	$939M	$1.02	8.87
Vulcan Materials	$7.42B	5.19	$911.90M	$7.16	40.66

Is CX or VMC more profitable?

Vulcan Materials has a net margin of 12.52% compared to Cemex's net margin of 9.61%. Vulcan Materials' return on equity of 12.81% beat Cemex's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cemex	9.61%	6.89%	3.18%
Vulcan Materials	12.52%	12.81%	6.41%

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in CX or VMC?

83.0% of Cemex shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.4% of Vulcan Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Cemex shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Vulcan Materials shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is CX or VMC a better dividend stock?

Cemex pays an annual dividend of $0.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Vulcan Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Cemex pays out 7.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vulcan Materials pays out 27.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Vulcan Materials has increased its dividend for 12 consecutive years. Cemex is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more volatility & risk, CX or VMC?

Cemex has a beta of 1.4, meaning that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vulcan Materials has a beta of 0.83, meaning that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Vulcan Materials beats Cemex on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.