California State Teachers Retirement System Has $9.28 Million Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 22.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 23,214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,317 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $9,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VMI. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Valmont Industries by 225.1% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 67,630 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $19,300,000 after buying an additional 46,825 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 59,127 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $16,873,000 after acquiring an additional 4,676 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Valmont Industries in the 1st quarter valued at $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 72,511 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,692,000 after acquiring an additional 2,639 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 223.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 152 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Valmont Industries

In related news, CFO John L. Schwietz bought 208 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $486.14 per share, with a total value of $101,117.12. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,992 shares in the company, valued at $1,454,530.88. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Theodor Werner Freye sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total transaction of $396,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,388,475. The trade was a 22.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on VMI shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Zacks Research cut shares of Valmont Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Valmont Industries and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Valmont Industries from $645.00 to $678.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $587.00.

Valmont Industries Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE VMI opened at $489.32 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.35. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $358.95 and a 52-week high of $585.71. The stock has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $535.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $480.98.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.34. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 11.70%.The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.96 EPS for the current year.

Valmont Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 25th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.99%.

Valmont Industries Profile

Valmont Industries, Inc (NYSE: VMI) is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in infrastructure and agricultural products. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company engages in the design, production and distribution of engineered products that support water management, power transmission, lighting and traffic infrastructure. Valmont’s solutions range from center-pivot and lateral-move irrigation systems to utility poles, transmission towers, lighting structures and highway traffic signal support structures.

The company operates through several core business segments.