Sowell Financial Services LLC Decreases Stock Position in Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Sowell Financial Services LLC reduced its stake in Vale S.A. by 77.5%, bringing its holdings to 17,045 shares valued at approximately $166,000.
• Vale's recent quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $0.50, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.34, despite revenue falling short at $8.80 billion.
• The company's dividend payout recently included a payment of $0.3417 per share, reflecting a significant 740.0% yield, although the payout ratio stands at 59.35%.

Sowell Financial Services LLC lowered its position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 77.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,045 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 58,681 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC's holdings in Vale were worth $166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in shares of Vale during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,713 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the first quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Vale by 233.7% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 3,810 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Vale Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $10.69 on Friday. 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 $10.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $48.50 billion, a PE ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 0.79.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.54 billion. Equities analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th were given a $0.3417 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 740.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 13th. Vale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VALE has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Clarkson Capital started coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vale from $13.50 to $13.70 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.00 target price (up from $9.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Vale from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $11.93.

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.

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