Scientech Research LLC Invests $657,000 in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Scientech Research LLC acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries, purchasing 2,303 shares valued at approximately $657,000 during the first quarter.
• A recent sale of 2,867 shares by the Chief Accounting Officer, Timothy P. Francis, resulted in a 22.73% decrease in his ownership of the stock.
• Valmont Industries' stock was recently downgraded from a "buy" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, while other analysts have increased target prices, indicating a mixed outlook for the company's shares.

Scientech Research LLC purchased a new position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $657,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Valmont Industries by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 57,333 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $17,583,000 after purchasing an additional 3,186 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,168 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,933 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,126,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 6,952 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,132,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 144,501 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $44,314,000 after purchasing an additional 8,798 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted 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, July 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $391.00.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMI traded down $12.94 during trading on Friday, hitting $373.76. The company had a trading volume of 193,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,368. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $362.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $328.22. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $250.07 and a fifty-two week high of $388.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.10. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 22.10%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.91 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Valmont Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 17.500-19.500 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 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, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. 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 presently 25.33%.

About Valmont Industries

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.