Cemex (CX) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer CX or VMC?

In the previous week, Vulcan Materials had 16 more articles in the media than Cemex. MarketBeat recorded 17 mentions for Vulcan Materials and 1 mentions for Cemex. Vulcan Materials' average media sentiment score of 1.47 beat Cemex's score of 0.00 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	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Vulcan Materials	15 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has higher earnings and valuation, 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	0.64	$939M	$0.96	7.44
Vulcan Materials	$7.42B	4.76	$911.90M	$7.05	37.88

Is CX or VMC more profitable?

Vulcan Materials has a net margin of 12.50% compared to Cemex's net margin of 8.84%. Vulcan Materials' return on equity of 12.91% beat Cemex's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cemex	8.84%	6.47%	2.92%
Vulcan Materials	12.50%	12.91%	6.61%

Which has more volatility & risk, CX or VMC?

Cemex has a beta of 1.38, indicating that its stock price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vulcan Materials has a beta of 0.82, indicating that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer CX or VMC?

Cemex presently has a consensus price target of $7.58, suggesting a potential upside of 6.09%. Vulcan Materials has a consensus price target of $302.91, suggesting a potential upside of 13.44%. Given Vulcan Materials' stronger consensus rating and higher probable 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)	4 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25
Vulcan Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of CX or VMC?

83.0% of Cemex shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.4% of Vulcan Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Cemex shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Vulcan Materials shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock 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 1.1%. Vulcan Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Cemex pays out 8.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vulcan Materials pays out 27.8% 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.

Summary

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