Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Downgraded to Buy Rating by StockNews.com

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on VMI. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson downgraded Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of VMI traded down $10.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $366.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 299,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,072. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $323.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.92 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 1.55. Valmont Industries has a fifty-two week low of $202.01 and a fifty-two week high of $379.22.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 7.38% and a return on equity of 23.10%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.18 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Valmont Industries will post 16.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Valmont Industries

In other Valmont Industries news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.92, for a total value of $6,978,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 131,730 shares in the company, valued at $45,963,231.60. The trade was a 13.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valmont Industries

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 175.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.