Signaturefd LLC Increases Stock Position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 94.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,051 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,985 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Vale were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in Vale during the third quarter valued at $1,126,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 274.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 162,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after acquiring an additional 119,061 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in Vale by 723.2% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 2,035,477 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788,205 shares in the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Vale during the third quarter worth approximately $1,422,000. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vale by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 469,036 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,478,000 after purchasing an additional 70,278 shares during the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vale Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $10.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.48 and its 200 day moving average is $9.90. The stock has a market cap of $45.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.85. Vale S.A. has a 52-week low of $8.38 and a 52-week high of $13.14.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.36). Vale had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 17.38%. The firm had revenue of $10.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.03 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.3758 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vale’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VALE. StockNews.com lowered shares of Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered Vale from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $14.50 to $11.30 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Vale from $16.00 to $15.25 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.26.

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.