Franklin Resources Inc. Has $160.52 Million Stock Position in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) by 20.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 398,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 105,690 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 2.03% of Valmont Industries worth $160,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

Valmont Industries Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of VMI stock opened at $513.12 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $483.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $448.15. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $316.56 and a 1 year high of $548.90.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.79. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $994.85 million. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 24.94% and a net margin of 8.91%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Valmont Industries’s payout ratio is 17.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer set a $600.00 price target on Valmont Industries and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $415.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $525.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $492.34, for a total value of $8,615,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 112,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,294,213.06. The trade was a 13.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

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.