Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a buy rating and issued a $249.00 target price on shares of Valmont Industries in a report on Monday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $262.00.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Valmont Industries stock opened at $268.04 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $253.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.30. The company has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.31 and a beta of 1.04. Valmont Industries has a fifty-two week low of $188.63 and a fifty-two week high of $293.63.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last released its quarterly 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. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 22.14% and a net margin of 3.83%. The company had revenue of $977.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $986.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.54 earnings per share. Valmont Industries’s revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries will post 15.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VMI. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 188.9% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 633.3% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 132 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

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.