Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Shares Acquired by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 123,209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,998 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Vale were worth $1,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VALE. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 423.1% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Vale in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vale in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in Vale by 2,502.8% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 2,728 shares during the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VALE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Vale in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Saturday, March 30th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Vale from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Vale from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.67.

Vale Trading Up 0.8 %

VALE opened at $12.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.01, a P/E/G ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.40 and its 200-day moving average is $13.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Vale S.A. has a 52-week low of $11.52 and a 52-week high of $16.08.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.48). The firm had revenue of $13.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.95 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 19.59% and a net margin of 18.72%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. Analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a $0.3182 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 9.7%. Vale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.19%.

About Vale

Vale SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services.