Ellsworth Advisors LLC Buys 31,830 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Ellsworth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vale S.A. by 25.5%, totaling 156,586 shares valued at approximately $1.56 million after acquiring an additional 31,830 shares.
• Analysts have mixed views on Vale's stock, with price targets ranging from $10.00 to $13.00, while it currently holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $11.71.
• Vale recently declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.3417 per share, yielding 740.0%, although its dividend payout ratio stands at 59.35%.

Ellsworth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 25.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 156,586 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,830 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC's holdings in Vale were worth $1,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $228,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Vale by 193.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,713 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Vale by 20.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,954 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 2,707 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vale by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,522 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 6,261 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vale by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 20,847 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 6,412 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE traded up $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.88. 19,678,243 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 35,872,117. Vale S.A. has a 52 week low of $8.06 and a 52 week high of $12.05. The company's 50 day moving average is $10.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.36 billion, a PE ratio of 8.84 and a beta of 0.79.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $8.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.54 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th were issued a dividend of $0.3417 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 740.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 13th. Vale's dividend payout ratio is 59.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VALE. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $10.00 target price (up previously from $9.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, August 4th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Vale from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded Vale from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Vale from $12.75 to $13.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vale from $15.00 to $13.50 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.71.

Vale 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.