Trillium Asset Management LLC Lowers Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 57,371 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,615 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $17,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Valmont Industries by 16.5% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Valmont Industries by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company. in a research note 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Valmont Industries Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE VMI opened at $322.25 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $331.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $318.63. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $202.01 and a 52 week high of $379.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $6.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76 and a beta of 0.98.

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

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. This is a boost from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Valmont Industries’s 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.