Valmont Industries, Inc. VMI reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $6.14 per share, up 25.8% from adjusted earnings of $4.88 a year ago. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.41.
Revenues increased 6.5% year over year to $1.12 billion and surpassed the consensus mark of $1.09 billion by 2.3%. Strong North America Utility and Coatings sales more than offset continued weakness in Agriculture.
The company ended the quarter with a total backlog of $1.67 billion. Gross profit rose 6.1% year over year to $340.8 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses declined to $174.7 million from $191.7 million, supporting the improvement in operating profitability.
Valmont Industries, Inc. Price and Consensus
Valmont Industries, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Valmont Industries, Inc. Quote
VMI's Segment Performance in Q2
Infrastructure revenues increased 14.8% year over year to $878.9 million, beating our estimate of $808.2 million and accounting for 78.4% of total sales. Growth reflected favorable pricing and higher volumes in North America Utility and Coatings, along with positive foreign-currency effects on international sales. Lower North America Telecommunications volumes, caused by moderating carrier spending, partly offset these gains.
Agriculture revenues fell 15.8% to $243.7 million, lagging our estimate of $284.2 million. North America irrigation sales declined 2.3% because of lower volumes amid persistent agricultural market softness, partly offset by favorable pricing. International Agriculture sales decreased 28.9%, primarily due to disruptions associated with the Middle East conflict.
VMI's Financials
Valmont ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $139.1 million. Cash provided by operating activities totaled $148.1 million during the quarter. The company returned $74.9 million to its shareholders during the quarter, including $60 million through share repurchases and $14.9 million in dividends. Capital expenditures totaled $35.9 million, primarily supporting capacity investments in North America Utility.
Valmont's Outlook for 2026
VMI raised its full-year 2026 net sales outlook to $4.3-$4.45 billion from the earlier $4.2-$4.4 billion. Infrastructure revenues are now projected at $3.4-$3.5 billion, up from the prior forecast of $3.3-$3.45 billion. The Agriculture sales outlook remains unchanged at $900-$950 million.
The company lifted the lower end of its earnings guidance to $22.25 per share from $21.50 while retaining the upper end at $23.50. Capital expenditures are still expected between $170 million and $200 million. The effective tax rate is projected at approximately 26%.
VMI’s Stock Price Performance
VMI’s shares have gained 41% in the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 45.7%.
VMI’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
VMI currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS,Kronos Worldwide, Inc. KRO and Avient Corporation AVNT.
Carpenter Technology is slated to report fourth-quarter 2026 results on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $10.58 per share, indicating 41.44% year-over-year growth. CRS sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Kronos is scheduled to report second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 5. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRO’s second-quarter loss per share is pegged at 33 cents, indicating 65.63% year-over-year growth. KRO flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 at present.
Avient is slated to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 6. The consensus estimate for AVNT’s earnings per share is pegged at $3.08. AVNT presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Valmont Industries, Inc. (VMI): Free Stock Analysis Report
Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Kronos Worldwide Inc (KRO): Free Stock Analysis Report
Avient Corporation (AVNT): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).