Valmont Industries, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Valmont Employee Retirement Savings Plan
Omaha, NEManufacturing6,236 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$3,010Employer $ per active participant
$6,040Employee $ saved per active participant
0.13%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$665.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$85,484Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity21.8 / 5044th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost12.0 / 2548th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.4 / 1549th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-13 pts2 issues reported on the filing
Total score38 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (566 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 44th |
| Lower admin cost | 48th |
| Employee saving | 49th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 70% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $6,780 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Valmont Industries put in about $3,010 per active participant, below the typical peer ($3,452). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $18,766,164 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $37,661,593 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,377,124 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $823,846 |
| Contract administrator fees | $5,100 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $206,165 |
| Other admin expenses | $122,240 |
| Benefits paid out | $84,372,648 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $607.4M / $665.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 6,155 / 6,316 |
| Participants with account balances | 7,785 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Deloitte & Touche LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $32,158,812 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $495,420 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $206,165 reported compensation |
| Sagview Advisory Group, LLC | $80,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250630115510NAL0027450754001, received 2025-06-30, EIN 47-0351813, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.