Analyzing Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) and Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) and Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Energy Fuels and Vulcan Materials’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Energy Fuels	-90.40%	-9.16%	-8.67%
Vulcan Materials	11.43%	11.88%	6.38%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Energy Fuels and Vulcan Materials”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Energy Fuels	$38.66 million	34.59	$99.86 million	($0.22)	-30.91
Vulcan Materials	$7.40 billion	5.11	$933.20 million	$6.34	45.17

Vulcan Materials has higher revenue and earnings than Energy Fuels. Energy Fuels is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Vulcan Materials, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

48.2% of Energy Fuels shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.4% of Vulcan Materials shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Energy Fuels shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Vulcan Materials shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Energy Fuels has a beta of 1.6, indicating that its stock price is 60% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vulcan Materials has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Energy Fuels and Vulcan Materials, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Energy Fuels	0	2	2	0	2.50
Vulcan Materials	0	4	10	0	2.71

Energy Fuels presently has a consensus target price of $8.50, suggesting a potential upside of 25.00%. Vulcan Materials has a consensus target price of $283.92, suggesting a potential downside of 0.86%. Given Energy Fuels’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Energy Fuels is more favorable than Vulcan Materials.

Summary

Vulcan Materials beats Energy Fuels on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Energy Fuels

Energy Fuels Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction, recovery, recycling, exploration, permitting, evaluation, and sale of uranium mineral properties in the United States. The company produces and sells vanadium pentoxide, rare earth elements, and heavy mineral sands, such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and monazite. The company was formerly known as Volcanic Metals Exploration Inc. and changed its name to Energy Fuels Inc. in May 2006. Energy Fuels Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities. It also offers asphalt mix and asphalt construction paving services; ready-mixed concrete; and calcium products for the animal feed, plastics, and water treatment industries. The company was formerly known as Virginia Holdco, Inc. and changed its name to Vulcan Materials Company. Vulcan Materials Company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.