Alps Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Alps Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $314,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 46,566 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,289,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 82.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 226 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 18.0% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.1% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 6,602 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,025,000 after acquiring an additional 922 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

NYSE:VMI traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $336.20. 181,328 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 140,717. The firm has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57 and a beta of 1.12. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $250.07 and a 52 week high of $379.22. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $325.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $317.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $969.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.04 million. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 22.27% and a net margin of 8.55%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th were paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 27th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is 15.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on VMI. William Blair raised Valmont Industries from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Valmont Industries from $343.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd.

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.