Advanced Portfolio Management LLC Buys New Position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Advanced Portfolio Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 80,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $710,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Vale by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 158,561 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,852,000 after buying an additional 1,494 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Vale by 68.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Vale by 16.8% in the third quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 11,982 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Vale by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 170,951 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,516,000 after purchasing an additional 1,797 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in Vale by 215.9% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Vale Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Vale stock traded up $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $9.35. The stock had a trading volume of 18,670,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,517,025. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Vale S.A. has a 1 year low of $8.06 and a 1 year high of $13.14.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.02). The company 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.3758 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vale's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. Vale's payout ratio is currently 54.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VALE shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wolfe Research raised Vale from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vale from $10.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America raised shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $11.50 in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Vale in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vale presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.13.

Vale Profile

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.