Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $587.00.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VMI shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Valmont Industries from $645.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Oppenheimer set a $600.00 target price on Valmont Industries and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Valmont Industries from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of Valmont Industries stock opened at $472.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Valmont Industries has a 52 week low of $361.50 and a 52 week high of $585.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $491.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $487.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.34.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 11.70% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.88 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Valmont Industries will post 23.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 25th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.99%.

Insider Activity at Valmont Industries

In other Valmont Industries news, CFO John L. Schwietz acquired 208 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $486.14 per share, for a total transaction of $101,117.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,454,530.88. This represents a 7.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Theodor Freye sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total transaction of $396,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,388,475. This trade represents a 22.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valmont Industries

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Valmont Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Valmont Industries Company Profile

Valmont Industries, Inc is a global manufacturer of engineered products and services serving the infrastructure and agricultural markets. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company operates through its Infrastructure and Agriculture segments.

Valmont’s Infrastructure segment provides utility and substation structures, engineered poles, lighting and traffic structures, wireless communication infrastructure, transportation products, and protective coatings for steel and other materials.