Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,920 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,687,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 179.2% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 67 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG bought a new stake in Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Valmont Industries In related news, CFO John L. Schwietz purchased 208 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $486.14 per share, with a total value of $101,117.12. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,992 shares in the company, valued at $1,454,530.88. This trade represents a 7.47% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total value of $396,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,805 shares in the company, valued at $1,388,475. This represents a 22.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance Valmont Industries stock opened at $469.04 on Tuesday. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $360.41 and a 12-month high of $585.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $513.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $486.36. Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.34. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 11.70% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.88 earnings per share. Valmont Industries’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 23.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts have issued reports on VMI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Valmont Industries from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $645.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $587.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on VMI

Valmont Industries Company Profile (Free Report)

Valmont Industries, Inc (NYSE: VMI) is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in infrastructure and agricultural products. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company engages in the design, production and distribution of engineered products that support water management, power transmission, lighting and traffic infrastructure. Valmont’s solutions range from center-pivot and lateral-move irrigation systems to utility poles, transmission towers, lighting structures and highway traffic signal support structures.

The company operates through several core business segments.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Valmont Industries Securing AI: 5 Most-Upgraded Stocks From the Q2 Reporting Season Insiders Are Betting Big on These 3 Healthcare Stocks 3 Stocks for Investors Who Still Believe Cash Is King Dollar General and Dollar Tree Are Recovering, But Not for the Same Reason

Receive News & Ratings for Valmont Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Valmont Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Key Takeaways Valmont gained 64.6% as utility infrastructure demand strengthened performance.Brownfield expansions added about $95 million in annual capacity and supported a $1.65 billion backlog.Automation, restructuring and lower expenses drove margin expansion and earnings growth. Valmont Industries, Inc. (VMI - Free Report) shares have rallied 64.6% in the past year. The company has also outperformed the Zacks Steel - Pipe and Tube industry’s 53.5% growth over the same time frame. The rally has been driven by robust demand in utility infrastructure and optimization of operational cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. The restructuring initiatives have widened margins, reinforcing investor outlook.

Let’s take a look at the factors that are driving VMI stock. 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Infrastructure Investments & Operational Efficiency Drive VMI’s Growth

Valmont's strong performance over the past year has been driven by the momentum in its Infrastructure business and the successful implementation of operational improvement initiatives. Robust demand for grid modernization, electrification, data centers, AI-driven requirements and infrastructure supported Valmont.

Following this, the company focused more on brownfield capacity expansions to increase production capabilities and optimized manufacturing efficiency, adding roughly $95 million in annual revenue capacity. These investments supported higher volumes, favorable pricing and margin expansion while helping Valmont build a strong backlog of approximately $1.65 billion. Management expects industry demand to continue, positioning the company to benefit from a multi-year utility investment cycle.

At the same time, Valmont strengthened profitability through disciplined execution and continuous operational improvement initiatives. The company streamlined its structure, optimized resource allocation and lowered corporate expenses while undertaking restructuring plans.

Manufacturing efficiency improved through automation, AI-enabled scheduling and planning tools, workflow redesign and productivity enhancements across multiple facilities, driving consistent margin expansion and earnings growth. It also continued investing in its Agriculture business by expanding its AgSense digital irrigation solutions and launching the ICON+ control system to broaden revenue opportunities. Strategic acquisitions, including the remaining stake in ConcealFab, further enhanced its digital irrigation and telecommunications segment. Disciplined capital allocation, share repurchases and higher earnings guidance during the year reinforced investor confidence in Valmont's long-term growth prospects.

VMI’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

VMI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 

Some other top-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) and Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) .

While KRO sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, CRS and ALB carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRO’s 2026 loss is pinned at 33 cents per share, indicating a 65.63% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in one of the trailing four quarters and missed the rest. KRO’sshares have gained 1% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRS’ 2026 earnings is pegged at $10.56 per share, indicating a rise of 41.18% year over year. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.95%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at $13.06 per share, indicating a 1,753.16% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters while missing it one, with an average surprise of 74.5%. ALB’sshares have gained 82.8% over the past year.