ACA vs MLI vs VMC Stock Comparison

Arcosa, Mueller Industries and Vulcan Materials Prices as of Oct 22, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ACA Arcosa, Inc.
$149.18 +1.7% 1M +61.6% 1Y
Market cap
$7.33B
P/E
14.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.74B
Div. yield
0.13%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
4 wins
MLI Mueller Industries Inc
$54.11 -10.3% 1M -48.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.82B
P/E
13.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.00B
Div. yield
0.01%
Metal Fabrication Industrials
6 wins
VMC Vulcan Materials CO
$261.66 +7.0% 1M -10.4% 1Y
Market cap
$33.92B
P/E
30.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.12B
Div. yield
0.01%
Aggregates Basic Materials
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mueller Industries leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Mueller Industries 6, Arcosa 4, Vulcan Materials 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACAMLIVMCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $7.33B $11.82B $33.92B VMC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 14.9x 13.7x 30.4x MLI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 33.6x 13.0x 27.7x MLI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.7% +20.8% +6.9% MLI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.9% 17.3% 13.7% ACA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.5% 22.7% 9.9% MLI
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -1.3x 1.8x MLI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.13% 0.01% 0.01% ACA
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +61.6% -48.1% -10.4% ACA
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +23.0%/yr +17.1%/yr +7.2%/yr ACA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.7% 131.8% 29.0% VMC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 85/100 47/100 MLI

Percentile Scorecard

ACAMLIVMC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisACAMLIVMC
Valuation 48 #106 of 203 81 #39 of 203 0 #10 of 10
Growth 82 #34 of 188 66 #64 of 188 –
Profitability 53 #89 of 187 95 #10 of 187 71 #3 of 8
Financial Health 58 #94 of 222 97 #7 of 222 75 #3 of 9
Shareholder Returns 41 #91 of 153 87 #21 of 153 43 #5 of 8
Overall 56 85 47
  • ACA ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • MLI ranked among 222 companies in Machinery
  • VMC ranked among 10 companies in Construction Materials

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodACAMLIVMCSPY
1 month +1.7%-10.3%+7.0% -1.0%
3 months +2.9%-15.4%-6.5% +2.9%
6 months +24.1%-60.2%-10.4% +6.4%
Year to date +40.3%-52.9%-8.3% +11.4%
1 year +61.6%-48.1%-10.4% +13.1%
3 years +117.4%+49.1%+27.5% +79.4%
3 years, per year +29.6%+14.3%+8.5% +21.5%
5 years +181.9%+120.1%+41.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year +23.0%+17.1%+7.2% +10.9%
10 years —+245.8%+134.6% +255.2%
10 years, per year —+13.2%+8.9% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureACAMLIVMCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.7%131.8%29.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.9%164.4%32.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.950.690.81 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.94-0.36-0.36 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.7%-61.6%-32.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-61.6%-20.8% -2.5%
52-week high $149.18$140.83$330.37 $779.14
52-week low $92.25$54.11$240.82 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleACAMLIVMC
P/E now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 25.9x 13.6xmedian 25.9x 30.4xmedian 19.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 1.9x 2.4xmedian 1.9x 4.2xmedian 1.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 13.7x 9.2xmedian 13.7x 16.1xmedian 9.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 54.9xmedian 21.1x 17.1xmedian 21.1x 33.0xmedian 31.6x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 2.3x 3.3xmedian 2.3x 4.0xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.75median 1.19 1.06median 1.19 1.85median 1.85

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsACAMLIVMC
Revenue $2.74B $5.00B $8.12B
Gross profit $632.30M $1.36B $2.23B
Operating income $322.70M $1.08B $1.64B
Net income $491.40M $871.57M $1.12B
Free cash flow $133.40M $689.59M $1.03B
EPS (diluted) $9.99 $3.92 $8.56
Cash & equivalents $432.10M $1.45B $194.20M
Total debt $1.44B $10.49M $4.36B
Shares (diluted) 49.20M 220.12M 130.30M
Enterprise value $6.31B $6.13B $33.21B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricACAMLIVMC
P/E 14.9x 13.6x 30.4x
P/FCF 54.9x 17.1x 33.0x
P/Operating cash flow 21.5x 15.3x 18.8x
P/S 2.7x 2.4x 4.2x
P/B 2.5x 3.3x 4.0x
P/Tangible book 2.7x 3.7x 4.8x
EV/EBITDA 15.2x 9.2x 16.1x
EV/EBIT 25.8x 9.6x 23.1x
EV/Revenue 3.0x 2.1x 4.7x
EV/FCF 62.4x 15.0x 37.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.4x 13.4x 21.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.75 1.06 1.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACAMLIVMC
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.7% 20.8% 6.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.0% 11.9% 2.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 20.7% 11.7% 6.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.2% 9.2% 8.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 61.3% 12.4% 14.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -5.6% 9.9% 13.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 433.0% 14.9% 17.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 20.2% 11.4% 15.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 430.8% 16.2% 19.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.8% 12.8% 16.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -23.1% 2.1% 10.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 3.0% 10.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -54.9% 1.9% -6.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 54.7% 1.6% 16.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACAMLIVMC
Gross margin 23.0% 27.3% 27.5%
EBITDA margin 19.9% 22.5% 29.2%
Operating margin 11.8% 21.5% 20.2%
Pretax margin 8.4% 22.8% 17.6%
Net margin 17.9% 17.3% 13.7%
FCF margin 4.9% 13.8% 12.7%
Operating cash flow margin 12.4% 15.4% 22.2%
Return on equity 17.4% 24.5% 13.2%
Return on assets 9.5% 20.4% 6.8%
Return on invested capital 6.5% 22.7% 9.9%
Return on capital employed 6.9% 29.7% 10.7%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.2x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.7x 0.9x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% 0.6% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACAMLIVMC
Debt / assets 27.1% 0.1% 26.5%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.0x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x -1.3x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 10.8x 0.0x 4.2x
Liabilities / assets 43.7% 17.6% 48.4%
Equity / assets 56.3% 82.4% 51.6%
Interest coverage 3.3x 3,260x 7.2x
Current ratio 3.1x 4.4x 1.8x
Quick ratio 2.2x 3.4x 1.1x
Cash ratio 1.0x 2.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.18 13.40 3.92

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACAMLIVMC
Dividend yield 0.1% 1.2% 0.8%
Net buyback yield 0.2% 2.4% 2.4%
Shareholder yield 0.4% 3.6% 3.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 2.0% 16.2% 23.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) 7.4% 20.5% 25.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.0% 35.7% 4.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.0% 30.2% 6.2%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusACAMLIVMC
Forward P/E 33.6xFY2026 13.0xFY2026 27.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.44FY2026 $4.16FY2026 $9.43FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -0.7%FY2026 +21.3%FY2026 +17.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.0% +7.0% +11.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.45BFY2026 $4.90BFY2026 $8.32BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -14.9%FY2026 +17.3%FY2026 +4.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.5% +7.9% -1.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACAMLIVMC
Held by institutions 91.8% 95.3% 98.5%
Institutions holding 426 738 1,060
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.1% +6.5% +3.6%
Institutions buying 230 419 526
Institutions selling 114 226 363
Buyers to sellers 2.02 1.85 1.45

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ACAMLIVMC
ACA 1.00 0.10 0.29
MLI 0.10 1.00 0.04
VMC 0.29 0.04 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACA, MLI and VMC?

Vulcan Materials (VMC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Arcosa (ACA) $7.33B, Mueller Industries (MLI) $11.82B, Vulcan Materials (VMC) $33.92B.

Which stock is cheaper, ACA, MLI and VMC?

Mueller Industries (MLI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Arcosa (ACA) 14.9x, Mueller Industries (MLI) 13.7x, Vulcan Materials (VMC) 30.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mueller Industries (MLI) is cheapest (Arcosa (ACA) 33.6x, Mueller Industries (MLI) 13.0x, Vulcan Materials (VMC) 27.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mueller Industries (MLI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Arcosa (ACA) +9.7%, Mueller Industries (MLI) +20.8%, Vulcan Materials (VMC) +6.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Arcosa (ACA) has the highest net margin (Arcosa (ACA) 17.9%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 17.3%, Vulcan Materials (VMC) 13.7%). On return on invested capital, Mueller Industries (MLI) leads (Arcosa (ACA) 6.5%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 22.7%, Vulcan Materials (VMC) 9.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Arcosa (ACA) returned the most: Arcosa (ACA) +61.6%, Mueller Industries (MLI) -48.1%, Vulcan Materials (VMC) -10.4%. Over five years, Arcosa (ACA) compounded fastest (Arcosa (ACA) +23.0%/yr, Mueller Industries (MLI) +17.1%/yr, Vulcan Materials (VMC) +7.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Arcosa (ACA) has the highest dividend yield: Arcosa (ACA) 0.13%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 0.01%, Vulcan Materials (VMC) 0.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Vulcan Materials (VMC) has been the steadiest (Arcosa (ACA) 31.7%, Mueller Industries (MLI) 131.8%, Vulcan Materials (VMC) 29.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ACA, MLI and VMC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mueller Industries (MLI) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.