Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) Shares Sold by Hamel Associates Inc.

Hamel Associates Inc. lessened its position in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 22.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,090 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 919 shares during the quarter. Hamel Associates Inc.'s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the third quarter worth $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 last quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in Valmont Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 16.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VMI shares. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $380.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Valmont Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE VMI traded up $5.56 on Wednesday, reaching $338.75. 209,712 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 130,843. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72 and a beta of 1.05. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $202.01 and a fifty-two 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $328.01 and a 200 day moving average of $315.72.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Valmont Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.83%.

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.