23 of 40
BACKNEXT
DEEP VALUE: Valmont
Ticker: VMI
Market cap: $1.9 billion
P/E ratio: 15
Current ratio: 2.9
Dividend yield: 0.7%

A Federal highway spending bill and China's infrastructure buildout should help this maker of traffic lights and outdoor lighting, transmission lines, and highway signs. On average, Wall Street analysts expect the company to increase earnings by 13.5% over the next five years and sales by 16.3% over the same time period.

Valmont's irrigation products division has weighed on the company as farmers delay investing in their fields due to the uncertain economy. But as Gabelli analyst Tony Fritz points out, these farmers will eventually have no choice and be forced to replace the equipment they use to spread water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. That could mean a big pop in future sales.

--K.B.

NEXT: DEEP VALUE: W.W. Grainger

Last updated June 11 2009: 10:27 AM ET
Email | Print | Share  |  RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
Criteria include prices no more than 15 times average earnings per share over the past three years, 10 years of positive earnings, annual per-share earnings growth of 3% or more, 10 years of uninterupted dividends, and curent ratio (assets divided by liabilities) of 2 or better. All data related to stock price as of June 1, 2009. P/E ratios based on average three-year earnings.
More Galleries
Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs In partnership with American Express, Fortune searched the U.S. for outstanding female business builders. Fortune honored these game-changers at its recent Most Powerful Women Summit. From Lauren Bush to environmental innovators, here are the winners. More
Dumbest moments in business 2009 Loudmouth CEOs, islands in the desert and bringing dead celebrities back to life. Our annual list of the business world's bonehead plays marches on. More
A showcase of big ideas Fahrenheit 212 has made a thriving business out of solving other companies' innovation problems. Here are a few of their results. More
* : Time reflects local markets trading time.† - Intraday data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges.• Disclaimer