Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Stock Moved Down to "Hold" by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from “Buy” to “Hold,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $587.
• Valmont shares opened at $468.13, down 0.1%, and remain below their 52-week high of $585.71. The stock has a market capitalization of approximately $9.04 billion and a P/E ratio of 18.23.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $6.14 in EPS versus the $5.80 estimate and revenue of $1.12 billion, up 6.5% year over year.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $645.00 to $678.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $587.00.

Valmont Industries Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of VMI opened at $468.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.35. Valmont Industries has a 52 week low of $378.02 and a 52 week high of $585.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $479.47 and a 200-day moving average of $492.30.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.34. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 11.70%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.88 EPS. Valmont Industries's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries will post 23.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Theodor Freye sold 800 shares of Valmont Industries stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total transaction of $396,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,388,475. This trade represents a 22.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO John L. Schwietz purchased 208 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $486.14 per share, for a total transaction of $101,117.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,454,530.88. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 349 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Balefire LLC increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 52.2% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 102 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 5.6% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 676 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 6.3% in the second quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 641 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valmont Industries Company Profile

Valmont Industries, Inc is a global manufacturer of engineered products and services that support infrastructure, agriculture and industrial applications. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company serves customers in North America and international markets.

Its infrastructure businesses produce utility poles and structures, towers, steel and aluminum structures, lighting and traffic-support systems, and other products used in electrical transmission and distribution, telecommunications, transportation and commercial development.

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