Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Stock Rating Lowered by William Blair

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

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Valmont Industries Stock Down 12.5 %

Shares of VMI opened at $285.69 on Friday. Valmont Industries has a one year low of $202.01 and a one year high of $379.22. The company has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $332.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.77.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.18 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Valmont Industries will post 18.07 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. This is a positive change from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valmont Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 175.7% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 395.1% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 35.9% during 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 during 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.