Headlands Technologies LLC Makes New Investment in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries, purchasing 1,248 shares valued at approximately $356,000 during the 1st quarter.
• Valmont Industries reported a Q2 EPS of $4.88, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.78, with revenues hitting $1.05 billion.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, with an upcoming ex-dividend date on September 26th.

Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,248 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $356,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 46,566 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,289,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Valmont Industries by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $736,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 6,602 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on VMI. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. William Blair raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VMI traded down $5.14 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $375.73. 172,512 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 161,811. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $250.07 and a 1 year high of $384.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 2.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $341.87 and a 200 day moving average of $322.67.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.10. The company 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.91 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of Valmont Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.52, for a total transaction of $1,027,876.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,494,135.92. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valmont Industries Company 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.