Vulcan Materials (VMC) Competitors

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

Does the media prefer VMC or CRH?

In the previous week, CRH had 11 more articles in the media than Vulcan Materials. MarketBeat recorded 24 mentions for CRH and 13 mentions for Vulcan Materials. Vulcan Materials' average media sentiment score of 1.38 beat CRH's score of 1.00 indicating that Vulcan Materials is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Vulcan Materials	11 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
CRH	17 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is VMC or CRH a better dividend stock?

Vulcan Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. CRH pays an annual dividend of $1.11 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Vulcan Materials pays out 27.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. CRH pays out 23.5% 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 raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years. CRH is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has better earnings & valuation, VMC or CRH?

CRH has higher revenue and earnings than Vulcan Materials. CRH 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
Vulcan Materials	$7.42B	4.71	$911.90M	$7.05	37.51
CRH	$35.57B	1.77	$3.46B	$4.72	19.78

Which has more volatility & risk, VMC or CRH?

Vulcan Materials has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CRH has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its stock price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts recommend VMC or CRH?

Vulcan Materials presently has a consensus price target of $302.91, indicating a potential upside of 14.55%. CRH has a consensus price target of $114.18, indicating a potential upside of 22.30%. Given CRH's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe CRH is more favorable than Vulcan Materials.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vulcan Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
CRH	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Is VMC or CRH more profitable?

Vulcan Materials has a net margin of 12.50% compared to CRH's net margin of 9.17%. CRH's return on equity of 15.88% beat Vulcan Materials' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vulcan Materials	12.50%	12.91%	6.61%
CRH	9.17%	15.88%	6.95%

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

90.4% of Vulcan Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.5% of CRH shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Vulcan Materials shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of CRH shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Vulcan Materials and CRH tied by winning 9 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.