Inspire Investing LLC Has $1.62 Million Stock Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Inspire Investing LLC reduced its Valmont Industries stake by 42.4% in the first quarter, leaving it with 4,044 shares valued at about $1.62 million.
• Valmont Industries reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $5.51 per share beating expectations and revenue of $1.03 billion topping estimates.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on VMI, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $573.75, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.77 per share.

Inspire Investing LLC trimmed its position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 42.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,044 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,980 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $1,616,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robert B. Daugherty Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $100,580,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth $99,799,000. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $66,103,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 118.8% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 282,610 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $108,884,000 after buying an additional 153,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Valmont Industries by 882.8% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 98,962 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,829,000 after acquiring an additional 88,893 shares during the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Valmont Industries and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $541.00 to $645.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $573.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of Valmont Industries 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 transaction, the director directly owned 112,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,294,213.06. The trade was a 13.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

VMI stock opened at $578.25 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $525.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $463.35. The company has a market capitalization of $11.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.34. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $321.21 and a 52-week high of $585.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $994.85 million. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 24.94%. Valmont Industries's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.83 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.10%.

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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