Squadra Investments Gestao DE Recursos LTDA. Takes $3.82 Million Position in Vale S.A. $VALE

Squadra Investments Gestao DE Recursos LTDA. bought a new position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 240,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,818,000. Vale comprises 0.4% of Squadra Investments Gestao DE Recursos LTDA.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Vale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna grew its stake in shares of Vale by 128.3% during the 4th quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vale by 15,360.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vale Stock Performance

VALE opened at $14.77 on Tuesday. Vale S.A. has a twelve month low of $9.36 and a twelve month high of $17.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $15.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.82.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.53 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 21.10% and a net margin of 7.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VALE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $16.50 price target (down from $19.50) on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Vale from $19.50 to $21.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.15.

Vale Profile

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.