Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP lowered its position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 165,932 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,153 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.83% of Valmont Industries worth $47,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VMI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,166,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $335,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 58.6% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 55,006 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,869,000 after purchasing an additional 20,332 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,505,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 3,999 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, William Blair raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of VMI stock traded up $3.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $360.83. 115,244 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,318. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $250.07 and a fifty-two week high of $379.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $329.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $319.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.60 and a beta of 1.12.

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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.91 earnings per share. Valmont Industries's revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th were paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 27th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.33%.

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.