221,748 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE Bought by B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc.

Key Points

• B.A. Schrock Wealth Management purchased 221,748 Vale shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $2.98 million. Institutional investors collectively own 21.85% of the company.
• Vale shares opened at $13.21, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $14.35 and $15.29, respectively. The stock has traded between $11.00 and $17.94 over the past year.
• Analysts maintain a broadly neutral outlook, with an average “Hold” rating and a $15.81 price target. Vale recently paid a $0.3088 special dividend, while its latest quarterly earnings and revenue fell short of estimates.

B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 221,748 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,983,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ramsey Quantitative Systems bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the first quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Foster Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vale by 6.9% in the third quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 11,697 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the period. Quartz Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vale in the first quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Finally, Keybank National Association OH bought a new position in shares of Vale in the first quarter valued at approximately $162,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $13.21 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $14.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.29. Vale S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $11.00 and a fifty-two week high of $17.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.96 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.47 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 5.11%. As a group, analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were paid a $0.3088 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 13th. Vale's dividend payout ratio is presently 89.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VALE shares. Zacks Research upgraded Vale from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Vale from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Vale from $12.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Vale from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $16.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.81.

About Vale

Vale SA is a Brazil-based global mining company and one of the world's major producers of iron ore and iron ore pellets, which are used primarily in steelmaking. The company also produces nickel, copper, manganese, coal and other mineral products, serving customers in the steel, energy and technology industries.

Founded in 1942 as Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, the company was privatized in 1997 and adopted the Vale name in 2007. Its operations are concentrated in Brazil, particularly in the states of Pará and Minas Gerais, while its base-metals business has mining and processing activities in countries including Canada and Indonesia.

Vale also operates an integrated logistics system that includes railways, ports and maritime transportation infrastructure used to move its products from mining regions to domestic and international markets.

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