Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Valmont Industries shares reached a new 52-week high of $399.77 following an upgrade from Wall Street Zen, moving from a hold to a buy rating.
• The average rating on Valmont Industries stock is a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $420.67, according to data from MarketBeat.
• Valmont announced a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.7%, to be paid on October 15th.

Shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The company traded as high as $399.77 and last traded at $399.56, with a volume of 3823 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $394.62.

VMI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a report on Saturday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Valmont Industries in a report on Friday, September 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $480.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $420.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valmont Industries

In related news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.52, for a total value of $1,027,876.84. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,746 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,494,135.92. The trade was a 22.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valmont Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 87.7% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 107 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 93.9% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 223.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 152 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries during the second quarter valued at about $46,000. 87.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a PE ratio of 36.95 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $373.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $333.56.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 22.10%. The company's revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.91 earnings per share. Valmont Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 17.500-19.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is 25.33%.

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.

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