Arjuna Capital Purchases Shares of 3,881 Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Arjuna Capital bought a new position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,881 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,108,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in 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 raised its position in 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. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP raised its position in Valmont Industries by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 30,325 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,300,000 after acquiring an additional 12,854 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of VMI traded down $4.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $335.74. 165,282 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 140,725. The company has a current ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $250.07 and a 52-week high of $379.22. The company's 50-day moving average price is $323.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $316.62. The company has a market cap of $6.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.