HighTower Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Vale S.A. $VALE

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 388,889 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 31,988 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vale were worth $5,067,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Vale by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Vale by 15,360.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Vale by 36.3% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 4,713 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Vale from $16.50 to $18.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Vale in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Vale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.65.

Insider Activity at Vale

In related news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap acquired 12,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the purchase, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,268.90. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia acquired 10,464 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $168,575.04. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Vale Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE VALE opened at $16.58 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Vale S.A. has a 12-month low of $8.97 and a 12-month high of $17.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74 and a beta of 0.46.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.08). Vale had a return on equity of 21.10% and a net margin of 7.21%.The company had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.53 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Vale

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.