Danske Bank A S Grows Stock Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Danske Bank A/S increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 6,471% in Q4, buying an additional 12,942 shares to own 13,142 shares worth about $5.29 million (roughly 0.07% of the company).
• Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares at an average price of $492.34 (≈$8.62 million) on April 24, trimming his position by 13.48% while insiders now own about 1.42% of the stock.
• Valmont beat Q1 estimates with $5.51 EPS (vs. $4.72 expected) and +6.2% revenue growth; analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target near $500, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.77 (≈0.6% yield).

Danske Bank A S increased its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 6,471.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,142 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 12,942 shares during the quarter. Danske Bank A S owned about 0.07% of Valmont Industries worth $5,287,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 8.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 422,997 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $164,009,000 after acquiring an additional 32,382 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 6,799 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 8,715 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 118.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 282,610 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $108,884,000 after acquiring an additional 153,418 shares during the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $492.34, for a total value of $8,615,950.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 112,309 shares in the company, valued at $55,294,213.06. This trade represents a 13.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VMI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. DA Davidson upped their price target on Valmont Industries from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $500.33.

Valmont Industries Stock Down 0.5%

VMI opened at $507.99 on Tuesday. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $299.24 and a 12 month high of $514.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.21 and a beta of 1.36. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $432.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $426.57.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $994.85 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.32 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.10%.

About Valmont Industries

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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