Vulcan Materials Co (Holding Co) (VMC) Q4 2019 Earnings Call Transcript

Vulcan Materials Co (Holding Co) (VMC) Q4 2019 Earnings Call Transcript

Vulcan Materials Co (Holding Co) ( NYSE:VMC ) Q4 2019 Earnings Call Feb 18, 2020 , 11:00 a.m. ET. Now I will turn the call over to your host, Mr. Mark Warren, Vice President of Investor Relations for Vulcan Materials.. With me today are Tom Hill, Chairman and CEO; and Suzanne Wood, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.. 2019 represented another year of strong earnings growth and demonstrated the strength of our aggregate-centric business model.. Aggregates gross profit was $274 million dollars, a 7% improvement versus the prior year fourth quarter.. Aggregate shipments increased by 4% with markets in the Southeast and Southwest reporting a strong growth.. The fourth quarter of 2018 made for a tough comparison with a 24% increase in Aggregates gross profit, 8% growth in volume and 5% mix adjusted price growth over 2017.. Gross profit per ton in the quarter improved to $5.32 and was negatively impacted by three things, most of which are timing and mix related.. Repair and maintenance costs were higher in the quarter.. As we said before, certain types of repairs and maintenance are routined and scheduled the associated costs are more predictable.. The second factor that impacted our gross profit