What Happened?
Shares of construction materials company Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) fell 5.5% in the afternoon session after the company reported weak fourth-quarter 2025 earnings and issued a disappointing financial outlook for 2026.
The company fell short of revenue expectations, with sales of $1.91 billion missing the $1.94 billion analysts had forecasted. The earnings miss was more significant, as adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.70, well below the consensus estimate of $2.11. Other key financial metrics also disappointed, with adjusted EBITDA of $518 million missing estimates of $603.8 million. Looking ahead, the company's guidance for 2026 adjusted EBITDA, with a midpoint of $2.5 billion, also failed to meet expectations of $2.65 billion.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Is now the time to buy Vulcan Materials? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
What Is The Market Telling Us
Vulcan Materials’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 3 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
Vulcan Materials is up 5.6% since the beginning of the year, and at $309.09 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $330.37 from February 2026. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Vulcan Materials’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,909.
The 1999 book Gorilla Game predicted Microsoft and Apple would dominate tech before it happened. Its thesis? Identify the platform winners early. Today, enterprise software companies embedding generative AI are becoming the new gorillas. Click here for access to our special report that reveals one profitable leader already riding this wave, it’s free.