Cemex Is Better Than The Market Seems To Think

I feel a little bad for Cemex (NYSE:CX). While this cement company, one of the largest in the world, has made good progress with its plans to reduce debt and prioritize margins over market share, the stock has been left out of the post-election rally that has seen 10% to 30% gains for stocks like Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM), Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC), and Lafargeholcim (OTCPK:HCMLY) since I last wrote on Cemex.

While I can appreciate that fears about what the new U.S. administration could mean for Mexico are a factor, I'm nevertheless surprised that the company has not gotten more credit for its self-improvement over the past couple of years.

Modeling (and valuing) a stock like Cemex isn't easy. And while I don't think this is a slam-dunk bargain, I do think there is upside here assuming that the steps management has taken to improve margins and cash flow generation prove long-lasting. Although there is a lot of uncertainty around potential major drivers like U.S. infrastructure spending and Mexico's economic cycle, I like the improvements that management has made and I think the shares are undervalued today.

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Cemex Is Better Than The Market Seems To Think