Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $658,000 Stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 14,300.0% during the second quarter, bringing the total investment to $658,000 with 2,016 shares owned.
• Valmont Industries recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.68, which will be paid on October 15th, with a current dividend yield of 0.7%.
• The stock's average target price has been raised to $391.00 following recent upgrades by brokerage firms, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 14,300.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,016 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,002 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VMI. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 3.8% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,169 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 2,651 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 23.9% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TBH Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 3,945 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on VMI. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $391.00.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMI opened at $375.78 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $250.07 and a 1-year high of $388.55. The stock's 50-day moving average is $366.71 and its 200 day moving average is $329.90.

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

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Valmont Industries news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.52, for a total value of $1,027,876.84. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,494,135.92. This represents a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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