Avalon Trust Co Grows Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Avalon Trust Co increased its position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the quarter. Avalon Trust Co owned about 0.20% of Valmont Industries worth $12,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Valmont Industries by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 640,876 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $186,204,000 after acquiring an additional 6,913 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 57.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 407,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,512,000 after purchasing an additional 148,811 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 349,426 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $101,316,000 after purchasing an additional 13,509 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 335,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,428,000 after purchasing an additional 4,940 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Valmont Industries by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 292,901 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $84,927,000 after purchasing an additional 24,224 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on VMI. DA Davidson downgraded Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE VMI opened at $327.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 0.98. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $202.01 and a one year high of $379.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $330.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $317.81.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 8.55%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.18 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.83%.

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.