Top 15 Construction Materials Stocks by Marvin Score
Marvin ranks 15 construction materials companies by Overall score within their industry. Quanex Building Products, Arcosa and United States Lime & Minerals lead the list. This is a research starting point, not advice.
Construction materials companies make or supply the products that go into buildings and infrastructure, such as aggregates, lime, windows, ceilings, drainage pipe and other building products. Their results often follow how much building and repair work is going on, so they can swing from year to year.
This list shows the 15 companies in Marvin's Construction Materials industry that clear the size cutoff, ordered by Overall score. A high score means a company looks strong next to its industry peers today. It does not say the stock is a good purchase.
Look past the single score. Compare growth, margins and debt, and note where data is missing. Several companies here score well on one measure and poorly on another, and each blurb flags the main caution.
The list
How Marvin ranked these stocks
Marvin included companies above about $300 million in size and ranked them by Overall score, highest first, within the Construction Materials industry. Scores run from 0 to 100 and are relative to each company's own industry. A score shows how a company compares with industry peers, not how it compares with the whole market, and it does not predict future results.
Companies above about $300 million in size, ranked by Marvin scores (0-100, relative to each company's own industry). The Construction Materials industry, highest Overall score first.
The stocks, one by one
Quanex Building Products Corporation NX
Quanex Building Products has the top Overall score of 95, helped by an Opportunity score of 96. Revenue grew 43.8% last fiscal year, a fast pace. Caution: its Quality score is only 59, return on equity is modest at 6.1%, and margin data is unavailable.
Arcosa, Inc. ACA
Arcosa scores 91 Overall with a strong Quality score of 82. Revenue grew 12.2% and operating margin is 12.0%, while debt-to-equity of 0.50 is moderate. Caution: free cash flow margin is only 4.6%, so little revenue turns into spare cash.
United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. USLM
United States Lime & Minerals has a Quality score of 96 and very high margins: operating margin of 42.1% and free cash flow margin of 24.4%. Debt-to-equity is just 0.00, almost no debt. Caution: its Opportunity score is a middling 60.
NPK International Inc. NPKI
NPK International combines a Quality score of 92 with revenue growth of 27.4% and very low debt, with debt-to-equity of 0.05. Caution: return on equity of 11.5% and free cash flow margin of 9.2% are only modest.
Tecnoglass Inc. TGLS
Tecnoglass shows healthy profitability, with a gross margin of 39.6%, operating margin of 18.3% and return on equity of 16.4%. Caution: its free cash flow margin of -0.8% means it did not produce positive free cash flow, and growth was a modest 10.5%.
Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. SSD
Simpson Manufacturing has a Quality score of 89, an operating margin of 20.6% and a strong free cash flow margin of 19.3%. Debt-to-equity is low at 0.19. Caution: revenue growth of 4.5% was slow compared with several peers on this list.
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. AWI
Armstrong World Industries posts a return on equity of 35.7% and an operating margin of 25.8%, backed by a Quality score of 86. Caution: its Opportunity score is only 67, and debt-to-equity of 0.66 is higher than the least indebted peers.
NWPX Infrastructure, Inc. NWPX
NWPX Infrastructure has a high Opportunity score of 84 and a free cash flow margin of 13.9%. Operating margin is 11.5%. Caution: its Quality score is just 53, gross margin is thin at 20.9%, and growth was only 6.8%.
Apogee Enterprises, Inc. APOG
Apogee Enterprises stands out for its Opportunity score of 87, and return on equity is 12.8%. Caution: its Quality score is a low 36, operating margin is thin at 7.2%, and revenue growth was slow at 3.2%.
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. MLM
Martin Marietta Materials has a Quality score of 69, an operating margin of 20.6% and a return on equity of 21.3%. Caution: its Opportunity score is 54, and revenue growth of 8.6% was moderate.
Masco Corporation MAS
Masco has an operating margin of 16.6% and a free cash flow margin of 12.3%, both reasonable. Caution: revenue growth was -3.4%, meaning sales shrank, its Quality score is 43, and return on equity and debt data are unavailable.
Eagle Materials Inc. EXP
Eagle Materials has a high return on equity of 27.1% and a free cash flow margin of 7.3%. Caution: debt-to-equity of 1.21 means more debt than equity, revenue growth was only 2.1%, and operating margin data is unavailable.
Limbach Holdings, Inc. LMB
Limbach Holdings grew revenue 24.7% and has an Opportunity score of 77. Return on equity is 14.9%. Caution: operating margin is thin at 5.7% and the Quality score is a low 39.
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. WMS
Advanced Drainage Systems has a Quality score of 79, an operating margin of 20.7% and a free cash flow margin of 17.1%. Caution: its Opportunity score is just 31, which holds its Overall score down to 52.
Carlisle Companies Incorporated CSL
Carlisle Companies has a high return on equity of 44.8% and an operating margin of 19.9%. Caution: debt-to-equity of 1.79 is the highest on this list, which can inflate return on equity, and revenue growth was almost flat at 0.3%.
Common questions
What does the Overall score mean?
The Overall score runs from 0 to 100 and combines Marvin's Quality and Opportunity scores. It compares a company with others in its own industry today. It is not a forecast and not a recommendation to buy or sell.
Why do some companies have missing figures?
Not every company reports every measure in a form Marvin can use. When a figure is unavailable, such as operating margin for some companies here, it is left out rather than guessed, so read those companies' scores with extra care.
What should I check besides margins and growth?
Look at debt. A debt-to-equity ratio above one means a company uses more borrowed money than shareholder equity, which can add risk when building activity slows. Also check whether free cash flow is positive, since it shows how much cash is left after running and investing in the business.
Keep reading
- Top 15 Basic Materials Stocks Right Now
- Top 15 Basic Materials Companies With the Strongest Businesses
- Top 15 Basic Materials Stocks Ranked by Marvin Opportunity Score
- Top 20 Small-Cap Stocks Ranked by Marvin Scores
Free account. Build your own AI-made watchlists, follow Marvin's scores and share lists.
Create a free account
Marvin's scores (0-100) compare each company with others in its industry today. Growth and margin figures come from SEC filings. This is general information, not personal investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Do your own research.