Squarepoint Ops LLC Invests $2.22 Million in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 8,105 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,224,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VMI. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 9,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,148,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in Valmont Industries by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,329 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,879,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Valmont Industries by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 227,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,142,000 after buying an additional 31,017 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in Valmont Industries by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 84,530 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $19,739,000 after buying an additional 16,430 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd grew its position in Valmont Industries by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 24,324 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,680,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VMI has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $285.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $332.50.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VMI opened at $287.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.80 billion, a PE ratio of 37.88 and a beta of 1.02. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.63 and a twelve month high of $307.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $282.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $259.78.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $4.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.04 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 4.09% and a return on equity of 23.30%. Equities analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 27th. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is 31.62%.

Insider Transactions at Valmont Industries

In other news, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.12, for a total value of $480,192.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,942.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.12, for a total value of $480,192.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,942.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Timothy P. Francis sold 2,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.49, for a total transaction of $686,527.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 9,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,826,998.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.