Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Sells 725,472 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 43.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 948,087 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 725,472 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Vale were worth $12,354,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VALE. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vale by 4.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 79,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 3,704 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Vale by 46.6% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 37,613 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 11,964 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Vale during the first quarter worth about $171,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Vale during the first quarter worth about $117,000. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Vale during the second quarter worth about $123,000. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia bought 10,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $168,575.04. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at $168,575.04. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $209,268.90. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on VALE. Barclays raised their price target on Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.77.

Vale Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE VALE opened at $15.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $71.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $16.51 and its 200-day moving average is $15.38. Vale S.A. has a one year low of $8.97 and a one year high of $17.94.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). Vale had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 21.10%. The firm had revenue of $9.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.53 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.