Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,673 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vale were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC purchased a new position in Vale during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Vale by 423.1% in the 4th 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. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Vale by 44.7% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Vale by 2,502.8% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 2,728 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vale Stock Up 2.9 %

VALE opened at $12.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.66, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $12.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.76. Vale S.A. has a twelve month low of $11.52 and a twelve month high of $16.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.48). The company had revenue of $13.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.95 billion. Vale had a net margin of 19.10% and a return on equity of 20.00%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Vale S.A. will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VALE shares. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on Vale from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Vale in a report on Saturday, March 30th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Vale from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.67.

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.