D.B. Root & Company LLC Takes Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $861,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,723,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the second quarter worth about $262,000. First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new position in Valmont Industries in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $635,000. Commerce Bank acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the 2nd quarter worth $210,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:VMI opened at $486.94 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $524.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $485.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.35. The company has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.35. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $360.41 and a 52 week high of $585.71.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.34. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 11.70% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.88 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 23.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is currently 11.99%.

Insider Activity

In other Valmont Industries news, CFO John L. Schwietz bought 208 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $486.14 per share, with a total value of $101,117.12. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 2,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,454,530.88. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total value of $396,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,388,475. This trade represents a 22.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VMI shares. Zacks Research downgraded Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Oppenheimer set a $600.00 price target on shares of Valmont Industries and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $587.00.

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.