AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. by 108.8% during the first quarter, owning 36,029 shares valued at $10,185,000 as of the end of the quarter.
• Valmont Industries reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.88, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.78, with a revenue increase of 1.0% year-over-year to $1.05 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, set to be paid on October 15th, representing an annualized yield of 0.7%.

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 108.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,029 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 18,771 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.18% of Valmont Industries worth $10,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 87.7% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 107 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 82.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 226 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 23.9% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries in the first quarter worth about $82,000. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $391.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.52, for a total transaction of $1,027,876.84. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,746 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,494,135.92. This represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

VMI stock traded down $12.94 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $373.76. 193,350 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 215,649. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $362.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.46. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $250.07 and a 1-year high of $388.55. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.80 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.78 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 22.10%. Valmont Industries's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.91 earnings per share. Valmont Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 17.500-19.500 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.33%.

Valmont Industries Company 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.