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If You Invested $1000 in Martin Marietta 10 Years Ago, This Is How Much You'd Have Now

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How much a stock's price changes over time is a significant driver for most investors. Not only can price performance impact your portfolio, but it can help you compare investment results across sectors and industries as well.

Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.

What if you'd invested in Martin Marietta (MLM - Free Report) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to MLM for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?

Martin Marietta's Business In-Depth

With that in mind, let's take a look at Martin Marietta's main business drivers.

Based in Raleigh, NC, Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. produces and supplies construction aggregates and other heavy building materials, mainly cement, in the United States. The end uses of the company’s aggregates and cement are infrastructure, private residential and private non-residential construction. Railroad, agricultural, utility and environmental industries also use these products. The company supplies aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) through its network of approximately 350 quarries, mines and distribution yards in 28 states, Canada and the Bahamas.

The company’s total revenues include sales of products and services to customers (net of any discounts or allowances) and freight revenues.

Building Materials (accounting for 95.1% of 2022 total revenues): The Building Materials business includes aggregates, cement, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving product lines. Within the Building Materials business segment, the company modified the reportable segments to the East Group — previously reported in the Mid-America and Southeast — and West Group, effective Jul 1, 2020.

Magnesia Specialties (4.9%): The segment produces magnesia-based chemicals products used in industrial, agricultural and environmental applications and dolomitic lime sold primarily to customers in the steel industry.

Consistent with its SOAR (Strategic Operating Analysis and Review) 2025 plan, Martin Marietta divested its Colorado and Central Texas ready-mixed concrete businesses and certain West Coast cement and ready-mixed concrete operations in 2022. The move helps MLM in refining its product mix and improving margin profiles, while providing balance sheet flexibility.

Bottom Line

Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Martin Marietta ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today.

A $1000 investment made in November 2013 would be worth $4,507.15, or a 350.71% gain, as of November 13, 2023, according to our calculations. Investors should note that this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.

Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 149.36% and gold's return of 44.44% over the same time frame.

Analysts are forecasting more upside for MLM too.

Martin Marietta reported mixed third-quarter 2023 results, wherein earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 17% but the revenues missed the same by 0.5%. Yet, both the metrics grew year over year. The results reflect gains from increased investment in large infrastructure and manufacturing projects, the business-mix portfolio and its prime focus on value-over-volume commercial strategy. Also, its Tehachapi, CA cement plant divestiture, which aligned with its SOAR 2025 initiative, sparks growth prospects. Owing to these tailwinds, the company raised its 2023 outlook. Furthermore, its shares have outperformed its industry year to date. However, softness in private nonresidential and residential construction activities, ongoing economic uncertainties along with pricing fluctuations are concerning.

Over the past four weeks, shares have rallied 6.49%, and there have been 6 higher earnings estimate revisions in the past two months for fiscal 2023 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.

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