Arkadios Wealth Advisors Boosts Stake in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Vale S.A. by 50.3%, acquiring an additional 36,681 shares this quarter, bringing their total holdings to 109,536 shares valued at approximately $1.1 million.
• Vale reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.50 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.34, although revenue of $8.80 billion fell short of the forecasted $9.54 billion.
• Recent analyst ratings for Vale indicate a mixed outlook, with six analysts giving it a "hold" rating and five a "buy," amid target price adjustments ranging from $11.00 to $13.00 per share.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 50.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 109,536 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 36,681 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Vale were worth $1,093,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of VALE. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Vale by 5.1% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 25,876 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 24,181 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 1,349 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 10.9% during the first quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 17,278 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Vale by 14.4% in the first quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,951 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 1,757 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of VALE traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $9.85. 52,288,644 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 53,845,800. The stock has a market cap of $44.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.00 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.11. Vale S.A. has a 1-year low of $8.06 and a 1-year high of $12.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.69 and a 200-day moving average of $9.57.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.54 billion. Vale had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 18.58%. Analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a $0.3417 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 740.0%. Vale's dividend payout ratio is 60.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VALE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Vale from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. 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 research note on Thursday, April 10th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, May 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Vale from $12.75 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.84.

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.