Carmel Capital Partners LLC Invests $2.33 Million in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Carmel Capital Partners bought a new stake in Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) of 5,798 shares valued at about $2.33 million during the fourth quarter.
• Quarterly results beat: Valmont reported EPS of $5.51 vs. $4.72 consensus and revenue of $1.03 billion (up 6.2% YoY), with a 24.94% ROE; analysts peg full-year EPS at about 22.93.
• Valmont raised its quarterly dividend to $0.77 ($3.08 annual) and carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target near $500 after recent upgrades and higher targets from JPMorgan and Stifel.

Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 5,798 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $2,333,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 8.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 422,997 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $164,009,000 after acquiring an additional 32,382 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 1.7% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 399,388 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $154,855,000 after purchasing an additional 6,799 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 3.1% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 290,948 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $112,809,000 after purchasing an additional 8,715 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 1.2% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 283,740 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $110,015,000 after purchasing an additional 3,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 118.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 282,610 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $108,884,000 after purchasing an additional 153,418 shares during the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:VMI opened at $498.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.67 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $429.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $423.62. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $286.50 and a 12-month high of $499.40.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 24.94% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $994.85 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.93 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th were paid a $0.77 dividend. This is a boost from Valmont Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 27th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valmont Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $500.33.

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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