Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 84 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $1,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Swiss National Bank grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 39,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,175,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. bought a new position in Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $4,769,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Valmont Industries by 70.3% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 46,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,182,000 after acquiring an additional 19,096 shares in the last quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 9,159 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,809,000 after purchasing an additional 901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMI opened at $289.99 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $329.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $320.48. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $202.01 and a 52-week high of $379.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 0.98.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 8.55%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is a positive change from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on VMI. William Blair downgraded Valmont Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. DA Davidson lowered Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday.

Valmont Industries Profile

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.