Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Makes New $1.23 Million Investment in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Zurich Insurance Group Ltd has acquired a new position in Valmont Industries, purchasing 4,300 shares valued at approximately $1.23 million during the first quarter.
• Valmont Industries reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.88 for the last quarter, beating analysts' expectations, along with revenue of $1.05 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.68, representing a 0.7% yield, to be paid on October 15th.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,227,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Valmont Industries by 0.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 46,566 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,289,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 82.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 226 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $736,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the 1st quarter valued at $317,000. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.52, for a total value 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 approximately $3,494,135.92. This represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of Valmont Industries stock traded up $1.87 during trading on Monday, hitting $375.49. 74,662 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 168,881. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $7.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.96 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's fifty day moving average is $362.21 and its 200-day moving average is $328.22. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $250.07 and a 52 week high of $388.55.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 22.10% and a net margin of 5.98%.The company's revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.91 EPS. Valmont Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 17.500-19.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be given a $0.68 dividend. 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 is currently 25.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VMI. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $345.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Valmont Industries from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $391.00.

Valmont Industries Company 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.