NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NWPX Infrastructure from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. DA Davidson upped their price target on NWPX Infrastructure from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded NWPX Infrastructure from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.00.

NWPX Infrastructure Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NWPX stock opened at $81.87 on Monday. NWPX Infrastructure has a 12 month low of $36.97 and a 12 month high of $83.12. The company has a quick ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a market cap of $783.50 million, a PE ratio of 22.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.04 and a 200-day moving average of $60.63.

NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The industrial products company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $125.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.00 million. NWPX Infrastructure had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 9.27%. On average, equities analysts predict that NWPX Infrastructure will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Aaron Wilkins sold 1,241 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.10, for a total value of $74,584.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 18,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,112,571.20. This represents a 6.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael C. Franson sold 5,506 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.17, for a total value of $331,296.02. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,649.25. This trade represents a 22.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 11,791 shares of company stock worth $708,142 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NWPX Infrastructure

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWPX. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of NWPX Infrastructure by 274.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 28,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,193,000 after purchasing an additional 21,179 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in NWPX Infrastructure during the first quarter worth about $224,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in NWPX Infrastructure by 17.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 44,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,835,000 after buying an additional 6,510 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of NWPX Infrastructure by 5.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,369 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,998,000 after buying an additional 2,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of NWPX Infrastructure in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,075,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.63% of the company’s stock.

About NWPX Infrastructure

Northwest Pipe Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of water-related infrastructure products in North America. It operates in two segments, Engineered Steel Pressure Pipe (SPP) and Precast Infrastructure and Engineered Systems (Precast). The SPP segment offers large-diameter and high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, which are primarily related to drinking water systems. Its products are also used for hydroelectric power systems, wastewater systems, seismic resiliency, and other applications.