NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

NWPX Infrastructure, Inc. (NASDAQ:NWPX)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $89.24 and last traded at $87.61, with a volume of 111726 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $87.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NWPX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NWPX Infrastructure from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of NWPX Infrastructure from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of NWPX Infrastructure from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NWPX Infrastructure from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.00.

NWPX Infrastructure Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $765.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $77.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.06. The company has a quick ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The industrial products company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $125.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.00 million. NWPX Infrastructure had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 9.27%. Equities research analysts forecast that NWPX Infrastructure, Inc. will post 3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Amanda Julian sold 3,473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $249,986.54. Following the sale, the director owned 10,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $749,815.66. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott J. Montross sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.44, for a total transaction of $178,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,713,396.88. This represents a 3.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 20,273 shares of company stock worth $1,490,019 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NWPX Infrastructure

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWPX. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in NWPX Infrastructure by 274.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 28,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after buying an additional 21,179 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in NWPX Infrastructure during the first quarter valued at $224,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in NWPX Infrastructure by 17.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 44,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,835,000 after purchasing an additional 6,510 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of NWPX Infrastructure by 5.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,369 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,998,000 after purchasing an additional 2,547 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of NWPX Infrastructure by 3.7% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 31,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.63% of the company’s stock.

NWPX Infrastructure Company Profile

Northwest Pipe Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of water-related infrastructure products in North America. It operates in two segments, Engineered Steel Pressure Pipe (SPP) and Precast Infrastructure and Engineered Systems (Precast). The SPP segment offers large-diameter and high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, which are primarily related to drinking water systems. Its products are also used for hydroelectric power systems, wastewater systems, seismic resiliency, and other applications.