Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Stock Holdings in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its position in Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,370 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 310 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Valmont Industries were worth $2,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Valmont Industries by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 40,755 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,498,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 83,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,576,000 after acquiring an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Valmont Industries by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 39,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,175,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter worth $4,769,000. 87.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valmont Industries Stock Down 0.4 %

VMI stock opened at $299.39 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $330.54 and a 200-day moving average of $319.59. 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 market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.98. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.21. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.18 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 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 0.91%. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is presently 15.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.