For the quarter ended September 2026, Vulcan Materials (VMC Quick QuoteVMC - Free Report) reported revenue of $2.18 billion, down 4.7% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $2.83, compared to $2.84 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.23 billion, representing a surprise of -1.93%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +1.43%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $2.79.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Vulcan performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Average unit sales price per ton - Aggregates (freight adjusted): $22.84 versus the three-analyst average estimate of $23.20.
• Average unit sales price per ton - Asphalt mix: $85.49 versus $86.01 estimated by three analysts on average.
• Unit Shipments - Ready-mixed concrete: 500.00 KCuYd versus 514.67 KCuYd estimated by three analysts on average.
• Unit Shipments - Aggregates: 62,700.00 KTon versus 64,386.57 KTon estimated by three analysts on average.
• Unit Shipments - Asphalt mix: 3,900.00 KTon versus the three-analyst average estimate of 3,999.33 KTon.
• Average unit sales price per cubic yard - Ready-mixed concrete: $192.21 compared to the $196.22 average estimate based on three analysts.
• Net Sales- Aggregates intersegment sales: $-111.5 million compared to the $-139.51 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -27.7% year over year.
• Net Sales- Concrete: $92.4 million versus $104.87 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -61.1% change.
• Net Sales- Asphalt: $381.2 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $395.04 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -8.4%.
• Net Sales- Aggregates: $1.82 billion compared to the $1.89 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +1.7% year over year.
• Gross Profit- Aggregates: $593.4 million versus $626.95 million estimated by four analysts on average.
• Gross Profit- Asphalt: $64.2 million compared to the $56 million average estimate based on four analysts.

View all Key Company Metrics for Vulcan here>>>

Shares of Vulcan have returned +8.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.9% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.