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Headquarters: Birmingham
Symbol: VMC
Share price: $129.34
Market value: $17.1 billion
Price-earnings ratio: 31
The nation’s leading producer and distributor of crushed stone, Vulcan is trading near an all-time high thanks to a run-up in the stocks of building-materials companies following the presidential election. And if the current administration goes forward with its plan to spend $1 trillion to revamp the nation’s infrastructure, few companies stand to benefit more than Vulcan.
But considering the uncertainty surrounding the Trump White House lately, it’s good for investors that an infrastructure bill would only be icing on Vulcan’s already growing cake. Matt Miller, an analyst at stock research firm CFRA, sees private construction spending rising more than 10% in 2017. Supported by a steady recovery in nonresidential construction, he says, Vulcan’s earnings will grow by 57% in 2017, to $4.50 per share, followed by a 29% bump in 2018, to $5.80 a share. Miller rates the stock a “strong buy” with a 12-month price target of $160.