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Valmont Industries (VMI - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $6.14 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.76 per share. This compares to earnings of $4.88 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +6.60%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this infrastructure equipment maker would post earnings of $4.72 per share when it actually produced earnings of $5.51, delivering a surprise of +16.74%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.

Valmont, which belongs to the Zacks Steel - Pipe and Tube industry, posted revenues of $1.12 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.32%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.05 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Valmont shares have added about 30.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.

What's Next for Valmont?While Valmont has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Valmont was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $5.78 on $1.1 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $22.82 on $4.31 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Steel - Pipe and Tube is currently in the top 41% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the broader Zacks Industrial Products sector, Emerson Electric (EMR - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 4.

This maker of process controls systems, valves and analytical instruments is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.68 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +10.5%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.1% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.

Emerson Electric's revenues are expected to be $4.79 billion, up 5.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Key Takeaways Valmont Industries is benefiting from strong utility infrastructure demand and multi-year grid investments.VMI improved margins through restructuring, AI-enabled planning and added capacity, boosting efficiency.VMI raised 2026 earnings guidance and Infrastructure revenue outlook on stronger execution and demand. Valmont Industries, Inc.’s (VMI - Free Report) shares have rallied 34.1% year to date. While the company has underperformed the Zacks Steel - Pipe and Tube industry's rise of 40.1%, it topped the S&P 500's gain of 10.4%.

The rally has been driven by Valmont’s successful implementation of operational improvement strategy, robust demand in the Utility end-market, increased 2026 earnings guidance and upward revisions in earnings estimates that have strengthened the company’s long-term growth outlook.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

Robust Utility Demand and Margin Gains Drive VMI's UpsideValmont Industries' rally has been primarily driven by robust utility infrastructure demand and the company's operational improvement initiatives. The Infrastructure segment continues to benefit from a multi-year investment cycle supported by grid modernization, electrification and rising electricity demand from AI-driven data centers.

Management expects approximately $1.4 trillion of U.S. grid investments through 2030, creating a strong pipeline for transmission, distribution and substation projects. This resulted in healthy backlog growth, improving revenue visibility and higher confidence in sustained demand.

At the same time, VMI has significantly strengthened profitability through restructuring, productivity improvements and strategic capacity expansion. Corporate expenses declined as restructuring initiatives streamlined operations.

Brownfield expansion projects added approximately $95 million in annual revenue capacity. The company has also removed production bottlenecks, implemented AI-enabled scheduling and planning tools, and continued operational excellence initiatives that have improved manufacturing efficiency. These efforts have driven some of the strongest Infrastructure segment margins in recent years while positioning the company to capitalize on rising utility demand.

Reflecting the combined benefits of demand trends and improved execution, management raised its 2026 earnings guidance and increased Infrastructure segment revenue expectations. With expanding capacity, higher operating efficiency, improving margins and sustained exposure to long-term utility infrastructure investments, VMI remains well positioned to deliver higher revenue and earnings growth over the coming years.

VMI’s Zacks Rank & Other Key PicksVMI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 

Some other top-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) and Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM - Free Report) .

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

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s 2026 earnings is pinned at $12.98 per share, indicating a 1,743.04% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed one, with an average surprise of 74.5%. ALB’s shares have jumped 90.5% 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 ASM’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at 34 cents per share, indicating a 17.24% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 125%. ASM’sshares have gained 86.4% over the past year.