Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair

William Blair lowered shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on VMI. DA Davidson lowered Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of VMI opened at $285.69 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $332.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $319.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.98. Valmont Industries has a 52 week low of $202.01 and a 52 week high of $379.22.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.21. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.18 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Valmont Industries will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. This is a boost from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 15.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valmont Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its stake in Valmont Industries by 175.7% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 395.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valmont Industries by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.