IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Sells 1,232 Shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Key Points

• IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd reduced its stake in Valmont Industries by 20.6%, now holding 4,739 shares valued at approximately $1.35 million.
• Valmont Industries reported an EPS of $4.88 for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.78, along with a revenue increase of 1.0% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, with the dividend payment scheduled for October 15th, representing an annual yield of 0.7%.

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lessened its holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 20.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,739 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,232 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $1,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 425,178 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $130,389,000 after purchasing an additional 9,201 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 397,523 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $121,908,000 after purchasing an additional 16,302 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 299,901 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $85,583,000 after purchasing an additional 9,979 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 118.0% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 274,769 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $78,411,000 after purchasing an additional 148,740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 201,559 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $61,812,000 after purchasing an additional 34,666 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of Valmont Industries 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,746 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,494,135.92. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VMI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. William Blair raised shares of Valmont Industries from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of VMI stock traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $368.50. 139,418 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 168,605. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $338.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $321.96. The stock has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.31 and a beta of 1.12. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $250.07 and a 12 month high of $379.22. 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 released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 22.10%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.91 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

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