Vulcan Materials Company VMC is scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 results on April 29, before the opening bell.
In the last reported quarter, the company’s adjusted earnings and total revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20.2% and 1.6%, respectively. Year over year, the adjusted earnings declined 21.7% while total revenues grew 3.2%.
Vulcan’s earnings topped the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters and missed on the remaining two occasions, with an average surprise of 2.1%.
How are Estimates Placed for VMC Stock?
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings per share (EPS) has declined to $1.13 from $1.15 over the past 30 days. However, the estimated figure indicates growth of 13% from the year-ago quarter.
The consensus estimate for total revenues is pegged at $1.67 billion, indicating 2.1% year-over-year growth.
Vulcan Materials Company Price and EPS Surprise
Vulcan Materials Company price-eps-surprise | Vulcan Materials Company Quote
Factors Likely to Shape Vulcan’s Q1 Results
Revenues
During the first quarter, Vulcan’s top-line performance is expected to have gained on the back of increasing public construction demand, mainly for highway projects, and growing momentum in private nonresidential activities. These market tailwinds are likely to have boosted aggregates volume growth, even though lower pricing is likely to have limited top-line growth to some point. Moreover, acquisitions completed are also likely to have added to revenue scale, while backlogs in both public and private projects gave better visibility, creating a strong pipeline of demand to support top-line expansion.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues from the Aggregates (74.8% of the fourth quarter of 2025 total revenues) and Asphalt mix (14.8% of the fourth quarter of 2025 total revenues) business segments is pegged at $1.42 billion and $210 million, reflecting year-over-year growth of 6.2% and 0.5%, respectively. Conversely, the consensus mark for revenues from the Concrete (10.4% of the fourth quarter of 2025 total revenues) business segment is pegged at $157 million, indicating 11.3% downturn year over year.
The Zacks model expects unit shipment volume for Aggregates and Concrete to increase year over year to 48,445 tons and 969 tons, up from 47,800 tons and 900 tons, respectively. The shipment volume for Asphalt mix in the first quarter is expected to decline to 2,068 tons from 2,200 tons in the year-ago quarter.
Earnings & Margin Trends
Vulcan’s bottom line is likely to have gained from its intent focus on two strategic disciplines, the Vulcan Way of Selling and the Vulcan Way of Operating. Through these initiatives, the company is likely to ensure to maintain operational excellence while maintaining work value. Although cost inflation and ongoing geopolitical risks are concerning, VMC’s aim at maintaining stable pricing and a favorable mix is expected to have aided the quarter’s bottom-line growth.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for gross profit from the Aggregates, Asphalt and Concrete business segments is pegged at $376 million, $6.75 million and $4.34 million, respectively, reflecting year-over-year growth from $357 million, $4.8 million and $3.2 million.
What the Zacks Model Unveils for VMC
Our proven model does conclusively predict an earnings beat for Vulcan this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat.
VMC's Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of +14.74%. You can uncover the best stocks before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
VMC's Zacks Rank: The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Other Stocks With the Favorable Combination
Here are some other stocks from the Zacks Construction sector, which per our model, have the right combination of elements to deliver an earnings beat this time.
MasTec, Inc. MTZ has an Earnings ESP of +2.22% and a Zacks Rank of 3, currently.
MasTec’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 17.4%. MasTec’s earnings for the first quarter of 2026 are expected to surge 92.2% year over year.
EMCOR Group, Inc. EME has an Earnings ESP of +1.71% and a Zacks Rank of 3.
EMCOR’s earnings beat estimates in three of the last four quarters and missed on one occasion, the average surprise being 10.8%. EMCOR’s earnings for the first quarter of 2026 are expected to increase 8.1% year over year.
Carrier Global Corporation CARR currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.24% and a Zacks Rank of 3.
Carrier Global’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed on the remaining one occasion, the average surprise being 7.4%. Carrier Global’s earnings for the first quarter of 2026 are expected to decline 23.1% compared with the prior year.
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Vulcan Materials Company (VMC): Free Stock Analysis Report
EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME): Free Stock Analysis Report
MasTec, Inc. (MTZ): Free Stock Analysis Report
Carrier Global Corporation (CARR): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).