Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMI opened at $349.17 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $324.10 and its 200 day moving average is $312.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32 and a beta of 1.05. Valmont Industries has a fifty-two week low of $202.01 and a fifty-two week high of $379.22.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.18 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valmont Industries will post 18.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This is a boost from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.92, for a total value of $6,978,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 131,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,963,231.60. This trade represents a 13.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valmont Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VMI. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 12.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 279 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,950 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 1.5% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $674,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 16.5% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $472,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.