Ecofi Investissements SA Purchases 1,950 Shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Ecofi Investissements SA lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Valmont Industries comprises 1.7% of Ecofi Investissements SA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Ecofi Investissements SA's holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $2,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in Valmont Industries by 175.7% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 35.9% in the 4th 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. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 16.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Valmont Industries by 83.4% in the fourth 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. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Valmont Industries by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 329 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Up 3.1 %

VMI stock traded up $8.70 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $286.98. 224,842 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 148,877. The stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.55. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $202.01 and a 1 year high of $379.22. The firm's 50 day moving average is $309.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $319.22.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $4.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $969.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $976.04 million. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th were given a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This is an increase from Valmont Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VMI. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $343.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 29th. William Blair raised Valmont Industries from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson lowered Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Valmont Industries Profile

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.