Boston Partners Purchases Shares of 158,448 Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Boston Partners has invested $1.58 million in VALE S.A. by acquiring 158,448 shares during the first quarter.
• VALE reported earnings of $0.50 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.34, but its revenue of $8.8 billion fell short of the anticipated $9.54 billion.
• The company announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.3417, resulting in a yield of 740.0%, with a payout ratio of 58.54%.

Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 158,448 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,581,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vale during the 1st quarter valued at $371,778,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vale by 49.3% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 18,238,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $161,773,000 after buying an additional 6,023,144 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Vale by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 33,995,398 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $301,541,000 after purchasing an additional 5,775,590 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Vale by 6,547.5% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 4,782,424 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $42,420,000 after purchasing an additional 4,710,481 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Vale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,775,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vale Stock Performance

VALE stock traded up $0.3150 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.1250. 26,619,165 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 37,277,816. The stock's 50-day moving average is $9.82 and its 200 day moving average is $9.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $45.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.23 and a beta of 0.74. Vale S.A. has a 52-week low of $8.06 and a 52-week high of $12.05.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.16. Vale had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 18.14%. The company had revenue of $8.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.54 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.3417 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a yield of 740.0%. Vale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.00 target price (up previously from $9.00) on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Vale from $12.75 to $13.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, May 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 price objective for the company. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Vale from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.