Boston Partners Acquires New Holdings in 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 purchased a new stake in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 158,448 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,581,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Vale in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Vale by 193.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 2,713 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Vale by 233.7% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 3,810 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Vale in the 1st quarter valued at about $64,000. Finally, Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new stake in Vale in the 1st quarter valued at about $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of Vale stock traded up $0.3050 on Friday, reaching $10.1150. 31,605,654 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,217,888. The firm's 50 day moving average is $9.84 and its 200-day moving average is $9.65. Vale S.A. has a one year low of $8.06 and a one year high of $12.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $45.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.22 and a beta of 0.74.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $9.54 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 issued a dividend of $0.3417 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 740.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. Vale's dividend payout ratio is 58.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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