Hantz Financial Services Inc. Buys 62,885 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Hantz Financial Services increased its stake in Vale by 53.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 62,885 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 179,919 shares valued at about $2.34 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their Vale positions, and overall institutional ownership of the stock stands at 21.85%.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally positive on Vale: the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $16.54, while Vale recently reported quarterly EPS and revenue that both came in below expectations.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 53.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 179,919 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 62,885 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Vale were worth $2,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vale by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,913 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the period. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL lifted its position in shares of Vale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 72,358 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $943,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Vale by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 38,134 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vale by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 17,350 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the period. Finally, Carrera Capital Advisors lifted its position in shares of Vale by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 13,961 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Vale news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap acquired 12,990 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia acquired 10,464 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 10,464 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VALE. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $18.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $16.50 target price on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vale presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.54.

Vale Stock Performance

NYSE VALE opened at $16.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $74.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $16.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Vale S.A. has a 1 year low of $8.97 and a 1 year high of $17.94.

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