463,376 Shares in Vale S.A. $VALE Acquired by Leonteq Securities AG

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Vale S.A., buying 463,376 shares valued at about $6.0 million.
• Several hedge funds also increased or initiated stakes in Vale, and institutional investors now own 21.85% of the stock.
• Analysts remain mixed on VALE: the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $16.46, while the company also reported Q1 EPS of $0.44, below expectations.

Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 463,376 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $6,038,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Vale by 60.0% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vale in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in Vale by 15,360.0% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Vale by 36.3% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,713 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VALE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $18.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Vale from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $14.50 to $15.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia acquired 10,464 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 10,464 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $168,575.04. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap acquired 12,990 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $209,268.90. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $209,268.90. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Vale Trading Up 2.2%

VALE opened at $16.36 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41 and a beta of 0.46. The firm's 50 day moving average is $16.20 and its 200-day moving average is $14.95. Vale S.A. has a 52-week low of $8.97 and a 52-week high of $17.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.53 billion. Vale had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 21.10%. Analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Company Profile

Vale SA is a Brazilian multinational mining company and one of the world's largest producers of iron ore and iron ore pellets. In addition to iron ore, the company produces and sells a range of bulk commodities and metals, including nickel, copper, coal, manganese, ferroalloys and cobalt, and it participates in the fertilizer inputs market. Vale also operates extensive logistics assets — including rail, port and maritime logistics — that support its mining and export activities and provide services to third parties in some regions.

Headquartered in Brazil, Vale maintains a global operational footprint with mining, processing and shipping activities across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

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