Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Downgraded to “Market Perform” Rating by William Blair

William Blair cut shares of Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com cut Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, DA Davidson cut Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Valmont Industries Trading Down 12.5 %

Valmont Industries stock opened at $285.69 on Friday. Valmont Industries has a 52 week low of $202.01 and a 52 week high of $379.22. 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 market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $332.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $318.77.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.18 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Valmont Industries will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This is a boost from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is 15.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valmont Industries

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 175.7% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted 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 valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.