Axa S.A. Sells 607 Shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Axa S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 27.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,572 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 607 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMI. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Valmont Industries by 794.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 198,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $54,373,000 after buying an additional 175,961 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter valued at $21,669,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 39.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 258,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $71,040,000 after purchasing an additional 73,084 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 69.0% in the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 161,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,891,000 after purchasing an additional 65,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Schweiz AG grew its position in Valmont Industries by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 150,855 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,226,000 after purchasing an additional 59,524 shares during the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Valmont Industries stock opened at $287.91 on Wednesday. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.63 and a twelve month high of $307.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average is $282.60 and its 200 day moving average is $259.59. The company has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.93 and a beta of 1.03.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $4.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.04 by $0.72. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 23.30% and a net margin of 4.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.49, for a total value of $686,527.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,826,998.79. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.12, for a total value of $480,192.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,105,942.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,300 shares of Valmont Industries stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.49, for a total value of $686,527.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,826,998.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VMI shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Valmont Industries from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $285.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.50.

About Valmont Industries

Valmont Industries, Inc operates as manufacturer of products and services for infrastructure and agriculture markets in the United States, Australia, Brazil, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Infrastructure and Agriculture. The company manufactures and distributes steel, pre-stressed concrete, composite structures for electrical transmission, substation, and distribution applications; and designs, engineers, and manufactures metal, steel, wood, aluminum, and composite poles and structures for lighting and transportation applications.