Larson Financial Group LLC Makes New Investment in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,471 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $134,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VALE. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the third quarter worth $31,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Vale by 423.1% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Vale by 44.7% in the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Vale by 2,502.8% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 2,728 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on VALE. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 12th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price target (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Saturday, March 30th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.67.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of VALE stock opened at $12.37 on Thursday. Vale S.A. has a 12 month low of $11.52 and a 12 month high of $16.08. The stock has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a PE ratio of 6.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $12.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.76.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.48). The firm had revenue of $13.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.95 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 20.00% and a net margin of 19.10%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 2.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

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

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.