Amundi Decreases Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Amundi trimmed its stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 118,539 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,603 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.61% of Valmont Industries worth $47,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 225.1% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 67,630 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $19,300,000 after buying an additional 46,825 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Valmont Industries by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 59,127 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,873,000 after acquiring an additional 4,676 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Valmont Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 3.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 72,511 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $20,692,000 after purchasing an additional 2,639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Valmont Industries by 223.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 152 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valmont Industries

In related news, CFO John L. Schwietz acquired 208 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $486.14 per share, with a total value of $101,117.12. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 2,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,454,530.88. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 800 shares of Valmont Industries stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total transaction of $396,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,805 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,388,475. This represents a 22.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of VMI opened at $482.69 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $9.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $535.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $480.59. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $353.41 and a 12-month high of $585.71.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 11.70%.Valmont Industries's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VMI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered Valmont Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $645.00 to $678.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer set a $600.00 price objective on Valmont Industries and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valmont Industries from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $587.00.

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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