Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Valmont Industries in a research report on Friday, September 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $480.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $420.67.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 0.4%

VMI stock opened at $394.46 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $373.69 and a 200-day moving average of $333.56. Valmont Industries has a fifty-two week low of $250.07 and a fifty-two week high of $397.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.73 and a beta of 1.15.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.78 by $0.10. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 22.10% and a net margin of 5.98%.The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.91 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Valmont Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 17.500-19.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valmont Industries will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.52, for a total value of $1,027,876.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,494,135.92. This represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 87.7% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 107 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 93.9% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 223.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 152 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $46,000. 87.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Company Profile

Valmont Industries, Inc operates as manufacturer of products and services for infrastructure and agriculture markets in the United States, Australia, Brazil, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Infrastructure and Agriculture. The company manufactures and distributes steel, pre-stressed concrete, composite structures for electrical transmission, substation, and distribution applications; and designs, engineers, and manufactures metal, steel, wood, aluminum, and composite poles and structures for lighting and transportation applications.