Trek Financial LLC Buys Shares of 484,111 Vale S.A. $VALE

Key Points

• Trek Financial LLC opened a new position in Vale, buying 484,111 shares worth about $6.31 million in the fourth quarter.
• Several other hedge funds also added to or initiated positions in Vale, and institutional investors now own about 21.85% of the company.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a consensus target price of $16.33; shares recently traded at $17.06 after Vale reported quarterly earnings that missed estimates.

Trek Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 484,111 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $6,308,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VALE. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Vale by 60.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Vale by 15,360.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Vale by 36.3% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,713 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VALE shares. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $16.50 price objective on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Vale from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $14.50 to $15.50 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vale in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $16.33.

Vale Price Performance

Vale stock opened at $17.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.71. The stock has a market cap of $77.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46 and a beta of 0.46. Vale S.A. has a 12-month low of $8.97 and a 12-month high of $17.94.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.53 billion. Equities analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Vale news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap acquired 12,990 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $209,268.90. Following the acquisition, the vice president owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia bought 10,464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,575.04. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

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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