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

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

VMI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson downgraded Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of VMI stock traded down $13.74 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $349.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 113,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 122,122. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $323.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.72. The company has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32 and a beta of 1.05. Valmont Industries has a fifty-two week low of $202.01 and a fifty-two week high of $379.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 8.55%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valmont Industries will post 18.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Valmont Industries

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.92, for a total transaction of $6,978,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 131,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,963,231.60. This trade represents a 13.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,158,000. Covea Finance lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $466,000. De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 44.6% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 18,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,454,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 208,645 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $60,497,000 after buying an additional 23,765 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is 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.