Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Rating Increased 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 sent to investors on Sunday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Valmont Industries in a research note on Friday, September 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $480.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $420.67.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

NYSE:VMI opened at $404.70 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $381.18 and a 200-day moving average of $341.21. The company has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68 and a beta of 1.15. Valmont Industries has a 52 week low of $250.07 and a 52 week high of $414.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.15.

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

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Valmont Industries

In other Valmont Industries 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,746 shares in the company, valued at $3,494,135.92. The trade was a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valmont Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 46,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,289,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 82.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 18.0% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.1% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the first quarter worth about $317,000. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Valmont Industries

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.