AlphaQuest LLC Increases Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC sharply increased its stake in Valmont Industries, boosting its holdings by 2,098.4% in the fourth quarter to 10,970 shares valued at about $4.41 million.
• Valmont’s recent earnings beat expectations, with quarterly EPS of $5.51 and revenue of $1.03 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates; revenue also rose 6.2% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $500.33, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.77 per share.

AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 2,098.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,970 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,471 shares during the period. Valmont Industries comprises about 0.2% of AlphaQuest LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.06% of Valmont Industries worth $4,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Allen Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $455,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.4% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 7,565 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,933,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 582 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.5% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,223 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,413,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 459 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Valmont Industries from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valmont Industries currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $500.33.

Insider Activity at Valmont Industries

In other news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $492.34, for a total transaction of $8,615,950.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 112,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,294,213.06. This represents a 13.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE VMI opened at $513.40 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $451.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $437.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.59. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $307.94 and a 1-year high of $528.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51 and a beta of 1.36.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.79. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $994.85 million. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 24.94% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.78 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.10%.

Valmont Industries Profile

Valmont Industries, Inc NYSE: VMI is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in infrastructure and agricultural products. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company engages in the design, production and distribution of engineered products that support water management, power transmission, lighting and traffic infrastructure. Valmont's solutions range from center-pivot and lateral-move irrigation systems to utility poles, transmission towers, lighting structures and highway traffic signal support structures.

The company operates through several core business segments.

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