Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $487.00.

Several research firms have issued reports on VMI. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $492.00 to $501.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th.

Institutional Trading of Valmont Industries

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Robert B. Daugherty Foundation bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $100,580,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $99,799,000. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,103,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 118.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 282,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $108,884,000 after purchasing an additional 153,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 882.8% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 98,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,829,000 after purchasing an additional 88,893 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 7.5%

Shares of VMI stock opened at $440.51 on Tuesday. Valmont Industries has a 12 month low of $269.21 and a 12 month high of $487.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $8.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $428.88 and a 200-day moving average of $421.48.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.79. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.53% and a return on equity of 23.82%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Valmont Industries will post 21.9 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th were given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 27th. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.31%.

About Valmont Industries

Valmont Industries, Inc (NYSE: VMI) is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in infrastructure and agricultural products. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company engages in the design, production and distribution of engineered products that support water management, power transmission, lighting and traffic infrastructure. Valmont’s solutions range from center-pivot and lateral-move irrigation systems to utility poles, transmission towers, lighting structures and highway traffic signal support structures.

The company operates through several core business segments.