Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 267,502 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 82% from the previous session’s volume of 147,229 shares.The stock last traded at $254.10 and had previously closed at $278.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VMI shares. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. William Blair lowered shares of Valmont Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 29th.

Valmont Industries Trading Down 0.6 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $323.80 and a 200 day moving average of $320.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 1.07.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.21. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This is a boost from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is 15.83%.

Institutional Trading of Valmont Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Covea Finance grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. Covea Finance now owns 15,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,661,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Valmont Industries by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 46,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,182,000 after buying an additional 19,096 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries during the third quarter valued at $698,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 17,421 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,326,000 after acquiring an additional 2,521 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP raised its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 30,325 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,300,000 after acquiring an additional 12,854 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valmont Industries Company Profile

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.