NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of NWPX Infrastructure, Inc. (NASDAQ:NWPX) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $114.27 and last traded at $110.2150, with a volume of 22948 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $113.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NWPX shares. Zacks Research downgraded NWPX Infrastructure from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded NWPX Infrastructure from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of NWPX Infrastructure from $70.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of NWPX Infrastructure from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NWPX Infrastructure presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.00.

NWPX Infrastructure Trading Up 0.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business’s 50-day moving average is $84.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.95.

NWPX Infrastructure (NASDAQ:NWPX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.40. NWPX Infrastructure had a return on equity of 10.80% and a net margin of 7.66%.The company had revenue of $138.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $125.10 million. On average, analysts predict that NWPX Infrastructure, Inc. will post 4.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Scott J. Montross sold 2,500 shares of NWPX Infrastructure stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.44, for a total transaction of $178,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,713,396.88. This trade represents a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Amanda Julian sold 3,473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $249,986.54. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $749,815.66. The trade was a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 20,273 shares of company stock valued at $1,490,019. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NWPX Infrastructure

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in NWPX Infrastructure by 274.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 28,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,193,000 after buying an additional 21,179 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of NWPX Infrastructure during the first quarter valued at about $224,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,510 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of NWPX Infrastructure by 3.7% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 31,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,308,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. 80.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.