Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Stock Position in Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its Vale stake by 28% in the fourth quarter, selling 147,234 shares and leaving it with 378,799 shares valued at about $4.94 million.
• Several other institutional investors changed their positions in Vale, with some boosting holdings significantly; overall, hedge funds and other institutions own 21.85% of the company.
• Vale’s latest results missed expectations, as it reported $0.44 EPS versus the $0.52 estimate and revenue of $9.26 billion versus $9.53 billion expected. Analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $16.46.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 28.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 378,799 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 147,234 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in Vale were worth $4,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VALE. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft grew its position in Vale by 304.2% during the 4th quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 40,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 30,421 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Vale by 115.2% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 33,546 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 17,955 shares during the last quarter. TLS Advisors LLC grew its position in Vale by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. TLS Advisors LLC now owns 99,393 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 3,070 shares during the last quarter. Trek Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,308,000. Finally, D Orazio & Associates Inc. grew its position in Vale by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 62,503 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $814,000 after purchasing an additional 6,694 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VALE. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Vale from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $18.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Zacks Research cut shares of Vale from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $16.50 price objective on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $16.46.

Vale Stock Performance

VALE opened at $16.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.98. Vale S.A. has a 1 year low of $8.97 and a 1 year high of $17.94. The stock has a market cap of $74.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60 and a beta of 0.46.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $9.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.53 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vale

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

Vale Company 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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