AU vs. VMC: AngloGold Ashanti vs. Vulcan Materials Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC) both fall under the Materials industry group, but AU is classified in Metals & Mining while VMC is classified in Construction Materials.

Company profile comparison for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Profile Item	AU	VMC
Name	AngloGold Ashanti plc	Vulcan Materials Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Construction Materials
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Construction Materials
Market Capitalization	47.04 billion USD	36.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 5, 1998	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VMC

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
Total Return (1Y)	47.97%	2.25%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	87.34%	12.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	42.76%	8.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VMC

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.11%	30.13%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.75%	-32.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.54M	1.16M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AU and VMC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.07	-0.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 12.88% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AU.

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

Max: 52.88%
AU: 44.33%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

VMC

Materials industry group

12.88%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
VMC: 12.88%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 13.78%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

Max: 38.66%
AU: 32.64%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

VMC

Materials industry group

13.78%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
VMC: 13.78%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 45.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 23.95%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

Max: 66.70%
AU: 45.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

VMC

Materials industry group

23.95%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
VMC: 23.95%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
ROE (TTM)	44.33%	12.88%
ROA (TTM)	24.39%	5.89%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.64%	13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.36%	23.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)	54.84%	27.48%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 7.06% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 18.39% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	70.78%	7.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	30.02%	2.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	122.32%	18.39%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.95%	23.46%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 1.43 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VMC.

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AU: 2.55
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

VMC

Materials industry group

1.43

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
VMC: 1.43
Min: 0.16

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.63 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
AU: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

VMC

Materials industry group

0.63

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
VMC: 0.63
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.55	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.16	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.17	2.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.72% pays an industry-typical yield; AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

AU: 4.88%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

VMC

Materials industry group

0.72%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
VMC: 0.72%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 24.26% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 58.78% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

Max: 83.62%
AU: 58.78%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

VMC

Materials industry group

24.26%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
VMC: 24.26%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.88%	0.72%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.78%	24.26%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 12.09 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 33.46 sits in the richer quartile — VMC needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
AU: 12.09
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

VMC

Materials industry group

33.46

Max: 59.00
VMC: 33.46
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.53 sits in the pricier quartile — VMC costs more per dollar of sales.

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
AU: 3.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

VMC

Materials industry group

4.53

Max: 9.62
VMC: 4.53
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 5.01 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.31 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

Max: 6.59
AU: 5.01
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

VMC

Materials industry group

4.31

Max: 6.59
VMC: 4.31
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	AU	VMC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.09	33.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.91	4.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.01	4.31
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.61%	1.96%