New York State Teachers Retirement System Has $7.46 Million Stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,340 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,543 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.12% of Valmont Industries worth $7,464,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VMI. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Valmont Industries by 35.9% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 35.4% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 214 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

VMI stock traded down $13.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $349.17. 113,467 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 108,882. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The business has a 50-day moving average of $324.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $312.21. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $202.01 and a 52 week high of $379.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32 and a beta of 1.05.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 last year, the company earned $3.18 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This is a boost from Valmont Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.92, for a total transaction of $6,978,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 131,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,963,231.60. This trade represents a 13.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Company 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.