Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,055,783 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 113,138 shares during the period. Barclays PLC's holdings in Vale were worth $18,234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VALE. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Vale by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 25,412 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 8,485 shares during the last quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,452,000. CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter worth about $862,000. DRW Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Vale by 171.7% in the fourth quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 45,931 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 110,031 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amitell Capital Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter valued at $3,810,000. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vale Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Vale stock traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.56. 12,387,572 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,509,974. Vale S.A. has a twelve month low of $8.06 and a twelve month high of $13.14. The company has a market cap of $43.41 billion, a PE ratio of 6.64, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.73. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.65.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.36). Vale had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 17.38%. The business had revenue of $10.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.03 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.3758 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is a positive change from Vale's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. Vale's payout ratio is 52.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Vale in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vale currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.44.

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.