Martin Marietta Materials (MLM) Competitors

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

Does the media favor MLM or VMC?

In the previous week, Vulcan Materials had 14 more articles in the media than Martin Marietta Materials. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Vulcan Materials and 8 mentions for Martin Marietta Materials. Martin Marietta Materials' average media sentiment score of 0.86 beat Vulcan Materials' score of 0.13 indicating that Martin Marietta Materials is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Martin Marietta Materials	4 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Vulcan Materials	8 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	4 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer MLM or VMC?

Vulcan Materials received 132 more outperform votes than Martin Marietta Materials when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 65.92% of users gave Vulcan Materials an outperform vote while only 63.80% of users gave Martin Marietta Materials an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Martin Marietta Materials	Outperform Votes 483 63.80%	Underperform Votes 274 36.20%
Vulcan Materials	Outperform Votes 615 65.92%	Underperform Votes 318 34.08%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, MLM or VMC?

Martin Marietta Materials has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Vulcan Materials. Martin Marietta Materials 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
Martin Marietta Materials	$6.78B	5.20	$1.17B	$33.75	16.95
Vulcan Materials	$7.78B	4.35	$933.20M	$6.85	37.34

Which has more risk and volatility, MLM or VMC?

Martin Marietta Materials has a beta of 0.95, indicating that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vulcan Materials has a beta of 0.83, indicating that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is MLM or VMC a better dividend stock?

Martin Marietta Materials pays an annual dividend of $2.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Vulcan Materials pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Martin Marietta Materials pays out 8.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Vulcan Materials pays out 26.9% 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.

Is MLM or VMC more profitable?

Martin Marietta Materials has a net margin of 31.35% compared to Vulcan Materials' net margin of 11.92%. Martin Marietta Materials' return on equity of 14.74% beat Vulcan Materials' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Martin Marietta Materials	31.35%	14.74%	7.70%
Vulcan Materials	11.92%	12.32%	6.38%

Do analysts recommend MLM or VMC?

Martin Marietta Materials presently has a consensus price target of $610.27, suggesting a potential upside of 6.68%. Vulcan Materials has a consensus price target of $277.08, suggesting a potential upside of 8.33%. Given Vulcan Materials' higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Vulcan Materials is more favorable than Martin Marietta Materials.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Martin Marietta Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.77
Vulcan Materials	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of MLM or VMC?

95.0% of Martin Marietta Materials shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.4% of Vulcan Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Martin Marietta Materials shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Vulcan Materials shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Martin Marietta Materials beats Vulcan Materials on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.