Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Shares Acquired by US Bancorp DE

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE has increased its stake in Vale S.A. by 36.8%, now owning 203,654 shares valued at approximately $2.03 million, according to its recent SEC filing.
• Vale's most recent earnings report exceeded analyst expectations, reporting a $0.50 EPS compared to the consensus estimate of $0.34, though revenue fell short at $8.80 billion against an expected $9.54 billion.
• The company announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.3417 per share, with a substantial dividend yield of 740.0%, despite a current payout ratio of 35.77%.

US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 36.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 203,654 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 54,797 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Vale were worth $2,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 25,876 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vale by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 24,181 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 1,349 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its stake in Vale by 10.9% during the first quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 17,278 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Vale by 14.4% during the first quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,951 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Vale by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 170,951 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,516,000 after acquiring an additional 1,797 shares during the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VALE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on Vale from $12.75 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America upgraded Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Vale in a report on Monday, May 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 target price for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $11.84.

Vale Trading Up 1.5%

VALE opened at $10.00 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $9.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Vale S.A. has a 12 month low of $8.06 and a 12 month high of $12.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.74.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $8.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.54 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 18.14% and a net margin of 14.23%. Sell-side analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a $0.3417 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 740.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. Vale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.77%.

About Vale

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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