Martin Marietta Materials is a natural resource-based building materials company. Co. supplies aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) through its network of quarries, mines and distribution yards. Co. also provides cement and downstream products, namely, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving services. Co. conducts its Building Materials business through two segments: East Group and West Group. The East Group provides aggregates and asphalt products only. The West Group provides aggregates, cement and downstream products. Co.'s Magnesia Specialties business is reported as a separate segment, which includes its magnesia-based chemicals and dolomitic lime businesses.
When researching a stock like Martin Marietta Materials, many investors are the most familiar with Fundamental Analysis — looking at a company's balance sheet, earnings, revenues, and what's happening in that company's underlying business. Investors who use Fundamental Analysis to identify good stocks to buy or sell can also benefit from MLM Technical Analysis to help find a good entry or exit point. Technical Analysis is blind to the fundamentals and looks only at the trading data for MLM stock — the real life supply and demand for the stock over time — and examines that data in different ways. One of those ways is to calculate a Simpe Moving Average ("SMA") by looking back a certain number of days. One of the most popular "longer look-backs" is the MLM 200 day moving average ("MLM 200 DMA"), while one of the most popular "shorter look-backs" is the MLM 50 day moving average ("MLM 50 DMA"). A chart showing both of these popular moving averages is shown on this page for Martin Marietta Materials. Comparing two moving averages against each other can be a useful visualization tool: by calculating the difference between the MLM 200 DMA and the MLM 50 DMA, we get a moving average convergence divergence indicator ("MLM MACD"). The MLM MACD chart, in conjunction with the chart of the moving averages, basically helps in visualizing how the moving averages are showing convergence (moving closer together), or divergence (moving farther apart). |
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Video: Technical Analysis