Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $4.17 Million Investment in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 13,584 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,166,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VMI. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Valmont Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings 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 lifted its stake in Valmont Industries by 16.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valmont Industries by 83.4% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of VMI opened at $300.90 on Thursday. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $202.01 and a 52-week high of $379.22. The firm has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.51 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $331.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $319.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.07.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.21. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.18 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. This is an increase from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on VMI. StockNews.com cut shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. DA Davidson lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Valmont Industries from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

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.