Nkcfo LLC Buys Shares of 237,750 Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Nkcfo LLC initiated a new stake in Vale, buying 237,750 shares in Q4 valued at about $3.10 million, making VALE its 26th largest holding (≈0.9% of the firm's portfolio).
• Other institutions also expanded positions—most notably Robeco, which added 9,103,727 shares to hold 20,809,302 shares (~$271.1M); overall institutional ownership in Vale is about 21.85%.
• Wall Street consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $15.95; Vale missed Q1 estimates (EPS $0.44 vs $0.52) and the stock was trading near $16.37 at the latest open.

Nkcfo LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 237,750 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,098,000. Vale accounts for about 0.9% of Nkcfo LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Resource Group acquired a new stake in Vale during the 3rd quarter worth $1,434,000. Ninety One North America Inc. raised its position in shares of Vale by 35.6% in the third quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. now owns 3,377,582 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $36,681,000 after buying an additional 886,214 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 493.9% in the third quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 308,126 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,346,000 after buying an additional 256,244 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 2,838,991 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $36,992,000 after buying an additional 66,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in Vale by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 20,809,302 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $271,145,000 after acquiring an additional 9,103,727 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on VALE. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $19.00 in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vale in a report on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Vale from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $14.50 to $15.50 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Vale from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $15.95.

Vale Trading Up 3.3%

NYSE VALE opened at $16.37 on Friday. Vale S.A. has a 12 month low of $8.97 and a 12 month high of $17.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.43 and a beta of 0.53. The firm's 50-day moving average is $16.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.90% and a net margin of 7.21%.The company had revenue of $9.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.53 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia acquired 10,464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 10,464 shares of the company's stock, valued at $168,575.04. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $209,268.90. Following the purchase, the vice president owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

About Vale

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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