Vale S.A. $VALE Position Increased by Qtron Investments LLC

Key Points

• Qtron Investments LLC boosted its stake in Vale by 79.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 149,116 shares valued at about $1.94 million.
• Several other institutions also increased holdings, and about 21.85% of Vale’s stock is now owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Insider buying was also reported, including purchases by VP Sobrinho Sami Arap and insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally constructive: Vale has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $16.65, though the company recently missed Q1 earnings expectations with EPS of $0.44 versus $0.52 expected.

Qtron Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 79.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 149,116 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 66,093 shares during the period. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Vale were worth $1,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Vale by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,913 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL raised its position in Vale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 72,358 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $943,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in Vale by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 38,134 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Vale by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 17,350 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carrera Capital Advisors raised its position in Vale by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 13,961 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vale

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VALE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vale from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Vale from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Vale from $16.50 to $18.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vale presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $16.65.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of Vale stock opened at $15.38 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96 and a beta of 0.46. Vale S.A. has a 52 week low of $8.97 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

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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