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

Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI) saw a large increase in short interest in 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 daily trading volume, of 130,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Valmont Industries Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of VMI traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $327.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 115,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 137,987. The company’s 50-day moving average is $330.97 and its 200-day moving average is $318.07. Valmont Industries has a 52-week low of $202.01 and a 52-week high of $379.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 23.15%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valmont Industries will post 18.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on VMI shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Institutional Trading of Valmont Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VMI. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its stake in Valmont Industries by 175.7% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in Valmont Industries by 395.1% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Valmont Industries by 35.9% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company’s stock.

About Valmont Industries

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.