Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI Shares Sold by Earnest Partners LLC

Key Points

• Earnest Partners LLC reduced its stake in Valmont Industries by 1.4%, now owning about 391,861 shares valued at approximately $111.8 million.
• Valmont Industries' stock has received mixed analyst ratings, with DA Davidson raising its target price to $400, while Wall Street Zen downgraded it from "buy" to "hold".
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.7%, with the payment scheduled for October 15th.

Earnest Partners LLC lowered its stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 391,861 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,662 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC owned about 1.95% of Valmont Industries worth $111,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in Valmont Industries by 20.9% in the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 897 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in Valmont Industries by 31.0% in the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,106 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in Valmont Industries by 220.2% in the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 9,968 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,855 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Valmont Industries by 87.7% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 107 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CW Advisors LLC raised its position in Valmont Industries by 28.1% in the 1st quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 14,056 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,011,000 after purchasing an additional 3,085 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Two investment 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $391.00.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:VMI opened at $375.66 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $350.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $325.35. The company has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of 34.98 and a beta of 1.12. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $250.07 and a 52-week high of $384.08.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.78 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 22.10% and a net margin of 5.98%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.91 EPS. Valmont Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 17.500-19.500 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Valmont Industries

In related news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,746 shares in the company, valued at $3,494,135.92. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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