Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI Stake Decreased by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Asset Management One Co. Ltd. cut its stake in Valmont by 82.8% in Q4, selling 4,092 shares and retaining 849 shares worth about $347,000, per the latest 13F filing.
• Valmont beat expectations for the quarter with EPS $5.51 versus $4.72 expected and revenue of $1.03 billion (up 6.2% year-over-year), with a net margin of 8.91% and ROE of 24.94%.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.77 (annualized $3.08), up from $0.68, implying a yield of roughly 0.6% and a payout ratio of 17.1%.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 82.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 849 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,092 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 0.4% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 7,565 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,933,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 582 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 0.5% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,223 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 21.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 48.2% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 126 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of VMI opened at $498.33 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $429.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $423.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.67 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.38. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $286.50 and a 52 week high of $499.40.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.79. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 24.94%. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $994.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.32 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th were given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Valmont Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 27th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on VMI. Wall Street Zen cut Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Valmont Industries from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valmont Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $500.33.

About Valmont Industries

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VMI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.