Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) is RWC Asset Management LLP's 8th Largest Position

RWC Asset Management LLP trimmed its holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,138,014 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 78,539 shares during the period. Vale comprises about 3.0% of RWC Asset Management LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. RWC Asset Management LLP owned about 0.07% of Vale worth $49,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in Vale by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 30,283 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its position in Vale by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 14,010 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vale by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 10,097 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 932 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vale by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,673 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in shares of Vale by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 5,581 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vale Trading Up 1.8 %

VALE traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,435,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 31,778,502. Vale S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $11.52 and a fifty-two week high of $16.08. The stock has a market cap of $55.05 billion, a PE ratio of 6.71, a P/E/G ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 0.97. The business's 50-day moving average is $12.54 and its 200-day moving average is $13.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.48). Vale had a net margin of 19.10% and a return on equity of 20.00%. The business had revenue of $13.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 2.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.3182 per share. This represents a yield of 9.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. Vale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on VALE shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Vale in a research note on Saturday, March 30th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Vale from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vale from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on Vale from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.67.

Vale Profile

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.