CX vs. VMC: CEMEX vs. Vulcan Materials Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CEMEX (CX) 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

CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC) are both classified in the Construction Materials sub-industry within the broader Construction Materials industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Vulcan Materials (VMC) trades as ordinary local shares, while CEMEX (CX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Profile Item	CX	VMC
Name	Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. Sponsored ADR	Vulcan Materials Company
Country/Region	Mexico	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Construction Materials	Construction Materials
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction Materials	Construction Materials
Market Capitalization	15.47 billion USD	36.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	September 15, 1999	February 21, 1973
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VMC

GSPC

CEMEX (CX) 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 CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
Total Return (1Y)	7.57%	2.25%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.84%	12.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.81%	8.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VMC

GSPC

CEMEX (CX) 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 CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.82%	30.13%
Beta (5Y)	1.57	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-53.08%	-32.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)	7.01M	1.16M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CX 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 CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.09	-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.14	-0.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both CEMEX (CX) at 5.17% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 12.88% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CX

Materials industry group

5.17%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
CX: 5.17%
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%

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both CEMEX (CX) at 3.60% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 13.78% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CX

Materials industry group

3.60%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
CX: 3.60%
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%

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both CEMEX (CX) at 14.77% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 23.95% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CX

Materials industry group

14.77%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
CX: 14.77%
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%

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
ROE (TTM)	5.17%	12.88%
ROA (TTM)	5.07%	5.89%
Net Margin (TTM)	3.60%	13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.77%	23.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)	33.48%	27.48%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CEMEX (CX) at 0.43% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 7.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both CEMEX (CX) at 2.35% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 18.39% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	0.43%	7.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.13%	2.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	2.35%	18.39%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.14%	23.46%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both CEMEX (CX) at 0.95 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 1.43 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CX

Materials industry group

0.95

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
CX: 0.95
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

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both CEMEX (CX) at 0.46 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.63 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CX

Materials industry group

0.46

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
CX: 0.46
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

CEMEX (CX) 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 CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.95	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.46	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.60	2.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

CEMEX (CX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Vulcan Materials (VMC) reports a yield of 0.72%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CX

Materials industry group

0.00%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
CX: 0.00%
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%

CEMEX (CX) 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 CEMEX (CX) at 67.86% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CX

Materials industry group

67.86%

Max: 83.62%
CX: 67.86%
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%

CEMEX (CX) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.72%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	67.86%	24.26%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 33.46 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and CEMEX (CX) at 67.00 is richer still, above its industry range.

CX

Materials industry group

67.00

CX: 67.00
Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

CEMEX (CX) at 0.89 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.

CX

Materials industry group

0.89

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
CX: 0.89
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

CEMEX (CX) at 1.20 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.31 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

CX

Materials industry group

1.20

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
CX: 1.20
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CEMEX (CX) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	CX	VMC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	67.00	33.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.89	4.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.20	4.31
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.86%	1.96%