Valmont's (VMI) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Lag
Valmont Industries, Inc. VMI reported second-quarter 2023 profit of $89.4 million or $4.21 per share, up from $76.1 million or $3.53 per share in the year-ago quarter.
Barring one-time items, adjusted earnings per share were $4.37, up from $3.70 in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.10.
The upside in earnings can be attributed to favorable pricing, cost management and operational efficiencies.
The company’s revenues were $1,046.3 million in the quarter, down 7.9% year over year. The top line lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,143.4 million.
Valmont Industries, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Valmont Industries, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Valmont Industries, Inc. Quote
Segment Review
The infrastructure segment’s second-quarter revenues increased 4.2% year over year to $770.6 million. It also beat our estimate of $755 million. This rise was driven by favorable pricing globally, increased volumes, especially in the Solar and Transmission, Distribution, and Substation product lines and contribution from the ConcealFab acquisition. These were partly offset by lower telecommunications volumes.
Agriculture segment revenues totaled $279.9 million, down 25.9% year over year. It fell short of our estimate of $409.5 million. Higher global irrigation equipment prices were outweighed by lower volumes. In North America, sales were impacted by the absence of record backlog delivery and delayed capital investments witnessed in the prior-year quarter. Internationally, strong sales in Brazil couldn't offset lower EMEA region sales, partly due to project timing. Global agriculture technology product and service sales also declined due to lower irrigation equipment volumes.
Financials
VMI ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $166.9 million, up 7.7% year over year. Long-term debt was $952.7 million, down 4.3% year over year.
Valmont repurchased $24 million of its stock during the quarter. It had $346.3 million remaining on the share repurchase program at the end of the quarter.
Outlook
For 2023, Valmont revised its guidance for net sales growth to the range of 0-2% from its previous view of 4-7%. Adjusted EPS guidance remains at $15.45-$16 per share. It also anticipates capital expenditures in the $105-$115 million range for 2023. The company also expects full-year improved operating margin compared to 2022.
Price Performance
VMI shares have risen 4.7% in the past year against the industry’s fall of 1.4% over the same period.
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Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Valmont currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Industrial Products space include A. O. Smith Corporation AOS, W.W. Grainger, Inc. GWW and Caterpillar Inc. CAT, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AOS’s current-year earnings is pegged at $3.47, indicating year-over-year growth of 10.5%. AOS beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 8%. The company’s shares have rallied 23.1% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GWW’s current-year earnings has been revised 7.7% upward in the past 90 days. GWW beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 9.2%. The company’s shares have gained 51.9% in the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CAT’s current-year earnings has been revised 1.4% upward in the past 60 days. CAT beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, while missing in one quarter. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.3% on average. The company’s shares have risen roughly 37.5% in the past year.
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