Cerity Partners LLC Purchases New Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 727 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 175.7% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 193 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 395.1% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 82.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 226 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 392 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

NYSE VMI traded up $0.91 on Wednesday, hitting $364.09. The stock had a trading volume of 157,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 161,130. The company's 50-day moving average is $330.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $319.86. The stock has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.90 and a beta of 1.12. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $250.07 and a one year high of $379.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.78 by $0.10. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 22.10%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.91 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Valmont Industries's payout ratio is presently 25.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on VMI. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. 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 report on Monday, July 21st. William Blair raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 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.