Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 26,807 Shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Valmont Industries by 1.4%, selling 26,807 shares and holding 1,911,803 shares (about a 9.70% stake) valued at roughly $769.2 million after the sale.
• Insider sale: Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares at an average price of $492.34 for about $8.62 million, cutting his position by 13.48% to 112,309 shares; company insiders own 1.42% of the stock.
• Operational and market view: Valmont reported an earnings beat (Q EPS $5.51 vs. $4.72) and revenue of $1.03B, while analysts have raised price targets and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $500; the company also declared a $0.77 quarterly dividend (yield ~0.6%).

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,911,803 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 26,807 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.70% of Valmont Industries worth $769,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Segment Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $282,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in Valmont Industries by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,504 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $662,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Valmont Industries by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 640 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Valmont Industries by 1,220.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 7,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,177,000 after purchasing an additional 7,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP increased its holdings in Valmont Industries by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP now owns 14,506 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,836,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Valmont Industries

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $492.34, for a total value of $8,615,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 112,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,294,213.06. This trade represents a 13.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on VMI. DA Davidson increased 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $500.33.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 0.6%

Valmont Industries stock opened at $510.87 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $432.49 and a 200-day moving average of $426.41. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $299.24 and a one year high of $513.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The company has a market cap of $9.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.37 and a beta of 1.36.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $994.85 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.32 EPS. Valmont Industries's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.10%.

Valmont Industries Profile

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.

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