Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) Short Interest Update

Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 442,300 shares, an increase of 46.7% from the February 13th total of 301,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 130,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VMI. 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $387.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Institutional Trading of Valmont Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VMI. Castleark Management LLC lifted its stake in Valmont Industries by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 21,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,658,000 after buying an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 69,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,428,000 after acquiring an additional 9,516 shares in the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $255,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valmont Industries by 141.2% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 41,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,744,000 after acquiring an additional 24,323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP purchased a new stake in Valmont Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $634,000. 87.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valmont Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMI traded up $8.29 during trading on Friday, hitting $327.63. 108,325 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 133,311. The company has a market cap of $6.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 0.98. Valmont Industries has a 1 year low of $202.01 and a 1 year high of $379.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $330.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $317.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $3.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Valmont Industries had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valmont Industries will post 18.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This is an increase from Valmont Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Valmont Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 15.83%.

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.