Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 145,128 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Fisher Asset Management trimmed its Vale stake by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 145,128 shares and leaving it with 21.6 million shares valued at about $281.4 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mildly positive: Vale now has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $16.54, and several firms recently raised targets or upgraded the stock.
• Vale missed earnings estimates in its latest quarterly report, posting EPS of $0.44 versus $0.52 expected and revenue of $9.26 billion versus $9.53 billion expected.

Fisher Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,597,376 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 145,128 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vale were worth $281,414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vale by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vale by 15,360.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 3,072 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Vale by 36.3% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,713 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Vale from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $16.50 target price on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $16.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vale

In other news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap purchased 12,990 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $209,268.90. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia purchased 10,464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Vale Price Performance

VALE stock opened at $16.46 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.24. Vale S.A. has a 52 week low of $8.97 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The firm's fifty day moving average is $16.27 and its 200 day moving average is $15.04. The firm has a market cap of $74.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56 and a beta of 0.46.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.08). Vale had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 21.10%. The business had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.53 billion. Research analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Profile

Vale SA is a Brazilian multinational mining company and one of the world's largest producers of iron ore and iron ore pellets. In addition to iron ore, the company produces and sells a range of bulk commodities and metals, including nickel, copper, coal, manganese, ferroalloys and cobalt, and it participates in the fertilizer inputs market. Vale also operates extensive logistics assets — including rail, port and maritime logistics — that support its mining and export activities and provide services to third parties in some regions.

Headquartered in Brazil, Vale maintains a global operational footprint with mining, processing and shipping activities across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

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