Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Acquires New Holdings 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,227,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VMI. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 759.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 172,967 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $49,361,000 after purchasing an additional 152,832 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings 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 valued at $78,411,000 after purchasing an additional 148,740 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 51,911.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 64,494 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,405,000 after acquiring an additional 64,370 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the 1st quarter valued at about $16,519,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 225.1% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 67,630 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $19,300,000 after acquiring an additional 46,825 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of 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 target on shares of 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 shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valmont Industries has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $391.00.

Valmont Industries Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of NYSE:VMI traded down $12.94 during trading on Friday, reaching $373.76. 193,350 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 215,649. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80 and a beta of 1.14. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $362.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.46. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $250.07 and a 12-month high of $388.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.78 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 22.10%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.91 earnings per share. 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.33%.

Insider Transactions at Valmont Industries

In related news, CAO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,867 shares of Valmont Industries stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly 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 SEC, which is available through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.