Vulcan Materials to Report Q3 Earnings: What Should Investors Watch?

Vulcan Materials Company VMC is scheduled to release third-quarter 2025 results on Oct. 30, before the opening bell.

In the last reported quarter, the company’s adjusted earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.9%. Its revenues also missed the consensus mark by 4%.

Vulcan’s earnings beat the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters and missed on the other two occasions, with an average surprise of 10.2%.

How Are Estimates Placed for Vulcan Stock?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VMC’s third-quarter earnings per share has increased to $2.68 from $2.67 over the past seven days. The estimated figure indicates a rise of 20.7% from the year-ago quarter.

The consensus estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.25 billion, indicating a 12.5% year-over-year increase.

Factors Likely to Shape VMC’s Q3 Results

Vulcan’s top line in third-quarter 2025 is likely to have benefited from a rebound in shipments following weather-related disruptions earlier in the year. July saw double-digit growth in volumes as projects caught up after delays, suggesting that momentum carried into the quarter. Strong infrastructure activity supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and state-level funding is likely to have driven highway and public works demand. Additionally, Vulcan’s exposure to fast-growing end-markets such as data centers and multifamily housing projects might have provided incremental support, offsetting softness in single-family construction.

Pricing strength is likely to have aided revenues, with consistent discipline keeping average selling prices higher across key geographies. The company already reported mix-adjusted price growth of around 8% in second-quarter 2025, and that momentum is likely to have extended into the third quarter. Acquisitions completed on both coasts also 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 Aggregates business, including crushed stone, sand and gravel, and other aggregates, has been a major contributor to top-line growth. Our model expects net sales from the segment to grow 12.5% to $1.77 billion from a year ago. We also predict Aggregates volumes and prices to increase 6.5% and 5.8%, respectively, in the to-be-reported quarter.

Our model anticipates net sales from the Asphalt Mix segment to be $394 million, indicating 3.4% growth from a year ago. We also predict volumes for the Asphalt Mix unit to grow 0.4% and prices to increase 2.9% year over year.

Revenues from the Concrete segment are expected to increase 18.8% to $207.3 million from a year ago. Concrete volumes and prices are expected to increase 17.2% and 1.4%, respectively, year over year.

Vulcan’s bottom line is likely to have benefited from cost discipline and operational efficiency measures. The company’s “Vulcan Way of Operating” focused on plant efficiencies and tight cost controls, enabling it to capture most of the price improvements directly into margins in earlier quarters. The trend is likely to have continued in third-quarter 2025.

Lower input costs in asphalt and ready-mix, coupled with strong aggregates profitability, might have also supported margin resilience, helping earnings even as certain end-markets like single-family housing remained under pressure.

What the Zacks Model Unveils for VMC

Our proven model predicts 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. This is exactly the case here.

VMC's Earnings ESP: Vulcan has an Earnings ESP of +2.87%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

VMC's Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Other Stocks With the Favorable Combination

Here are some other companies in the Zacks Construction sector that, too, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the quarter to be reported.

TopBuild Corp. BLD has an Earnings ESP of +1.89% and a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The company’s earnings beat estimates in each of the last four quarters, the average surprise being 2.8%. TopBuild’s earnings for the third quarter of 2025 are expected to decrease 8.1%.

EMCOR Group, Inc. EME has an Earnings ESP of +0.20% and a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Its earnings topped estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 16.8%. EMCOR’s earnings for the third quarter of 2025 are expected to increase 14.7%.

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. MLM currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.26% and a Zacks Rank of 2.

Its earnings beat estimates in two of the last four quarters and missed on the remaining two occasions, the negative average surprise being 0.9%. Martin Marietta’s earnings for the third quarter of 2025 are expected to grow 12.5%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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