Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: I have owned Valmont Industries stock for some time, and I wonder what you think about it for the future. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Valmont Industries Inc., $227.53, symbol VMI on New York (Shares outstanding: 20.9 million; Market cap: $4.8 billion; www.valmont.com), was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The company operates in two main segments: Infrastructure (72% of sales) offers products to serve the infrastructure markets of utility, solar, lighting, transportation, and telecommunications, along with coatings services to preserve metal products. Agriculture (28% of sales) is a leader in mechanized irrigation equipment for agriculture, aiming to enhance food production while conserving natural water resources. The company also produces a wide variety of tubing for commercial and industrial applications. In May 2021, Valmont acquired Prospera Technologies, a privately owned artificial intelligence (AI) company based in Israel. Valmont paid $300 million in cash. Prospera is a developer of machine technologies that continuously monitor and analyze plant development, health and stress. The company uses artificial intelligence-based sensors and in-field cameras to help farmers monitor crops. It then analyzes the data to identify pests and diseases, monitor agro-technical…