Vale S.A. $VALE Shares Purchased by Jennison Associates LLC

Key Points

• Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Vale by 55.0% in Q4, buying 568,637 shares to hold 1,603,391 shares valued at about $20.9 million.
• Vale reported quarterly EPS of $0.44 (miss vs. $0.52 est.) and revenue of $9.26B (vs. $9.53B est.), while analysts forecast FY EPS of 2.13 and the stock has a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $15.95.
• Robeco Institutional Asset Management raised its stake by 77.8% in Q4 and now owns 20,809,302 shares worth roughly $271.1 million, reflecting significant institutional accumulation alongside other large funds.

Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 55.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,603,391 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 568,637 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC's holdings in Vale were worth $20,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors increased its position in Vale by 13.3% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 56,457,332 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $613,086,000 after purchasing an additional 6,643,125 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Vale by 4.3% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 46,215,387 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $501,715,000 after acquiring an additional 1,910,266 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Vale by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 28,961,848 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $314,526,000 after acquiring an additional 4,151,563 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 22,272,507 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $241,879,000 after acquiring an additional 2,192,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Vale by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 20,809,302 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $271,145,000 after purchasing an additional 9,103,727 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vale Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE VALE opened at $16.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Vale S.A. has a 52 week low of $8.97 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.50.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 20.90% and a net margin of 7.21%.The firm had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.53 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vale

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Bank of America raised shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Vale from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $15.95.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VALE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.