Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of Valmont Industries in a report on Monday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $262.00.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE:VMI opened at $270.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $5.46 billion, a PE ratio of 35.65 and a beta of 1.03. Valmont Industries has a twelve month low of $188.63 and a twelve month high of $291.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.64, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company’s 50 day moving average is $261.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.30.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $4.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.24 by $1.08. The company had revenue of $977.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $986.98 million. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 3.83% and a return on equity of 22.14%. Valmont Industries’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.54 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries will post 15.94 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.62%.

Institutional Trading of Valmont Industries

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,796 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. FCA Corp TX boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 15,133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,534,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 206 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 3,795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $886,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,042 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 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.