Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Makes New Investment in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 450,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,992,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VALE. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Vale by 215.9% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Vale by 206.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Vale by 3,092.0% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,092 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Vale by 68.3% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VALE. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Vale from $10.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.13.

Vale Stock Performance

Vale stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $9.38. 4,683,324 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 35,365,328. Vale S.A. has a 52-week low of $8.06 and a 52-week high of $13.14. The stock has a market cap of $42.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm's 50 day moving average is $9.51 and its 200 day moving average is $9.57.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 17.38% and a net margin of 16.15%. Analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.3758 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a yield of 7.5%. This is a positive change from Vale's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. Vale's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.35%.

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.