Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd Buys Shares of 78,013 Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 78,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $692,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in Vale by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 20,177 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 4,987 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 927,304 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,225,000 after acquiring an additional 58,464 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter worth about $104,000. Finally, MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter worth about $726,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VALE shares. Bank of America raised shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Vale from $10.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Vale in a research note on Monday, May 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 price objective for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.04.

Vale Trading Down 3.2%

NYSE:VALE traded down $0.30 on Friday, reaching $9.14. 41,858,447 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,884,087. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company's 50 day moving average is $9.45 and its 200-day moving average is $9.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.58 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 $12.15.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Vale had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 17.38%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Company 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.