Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stock Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 30.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,863 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $3,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VMI. Robert B. Daugherty Foundation purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $100,580,000. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,103,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 118.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 282,610 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $108,884,000 after acquiring an additional 153,418 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 882.8% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 98,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,829,000 after acquiring an additional 88,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 179.6% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 117,342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,320,000 after acquiring an additional 75,377 shares during the last quarter. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of VMI stock opened at $508.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.38. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $290.53 and a 1 year high of $513.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $432.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $426.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a PE ratio of 28.23 and a beta of 1.24.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.72 by $0.79. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 24.94% and a net margin of 8.91%.The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $994.85 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.93 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 17.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $500.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valmont Industries

In other news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $492.34, for a total value of $8,615,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 112,309 shares in the company, valued at $55,294,213.06. This represents a 13.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.