Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. Lowers Position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. cut its stake in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Free Report) by 48.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,110 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 124,566 shares during the quarter. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc.'s holdings in Vale were worth $1,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VALE. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Vale by 215.9% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Vale by 206.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vale by 3,092.0% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 3,092 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vale by 68.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE traded up $0.11 on Wednesday, hitting $9.55. 29,216,196 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,603,473. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $9.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.66. Vale S.A. has a 1-year low of $8.06 and a 1-year high of $13.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.73.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $10.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.03 billion. Vale had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 17.38%. 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 paid a $0.3758 dividend. This is an increase from Vale's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. This represents a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Vale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on VALE shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $11.00 price objective (down from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America upgraded Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wolfe Research raised Vale from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.44.

Vale Company 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.