Franklin Resources Inc. Has $154.01 Million Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 502,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 94,884 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 2.51% of Valmont Industries worth $154,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Valmont Industries by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 83.4% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

NYSE:VMI opened at $296.48 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $326.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $320.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.26 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.

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

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. This is a positive change from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VMI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 29th. Finally, William Blair downgraded Valmont Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

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.