Aberdeen Group plc Sells 902,166 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,772,095 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 902,166 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.06% of Vale worth $29,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new stake in shares of Vale during the second quarter worth $34,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $87,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC acquired a new position in shares of Vale during the second quarter worth about $87,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 49.0% during the third quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 2,795 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vale during the second quarter worth about $99,000. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on VALE. Barclays boosted their target price on Vale from $14.50 to $15.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “cautious” rating and set a $15.50 target price on shares of Vale in a report on Monday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.88.

Vale Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of VALE stock opened at $16.64 on Tuesday. Vale S.A. has a 52-week low of $8.06 and a 52-week high of $17.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $14.64 and its 200-day moving average is $12.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported ($0.98) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($1.50). Vale had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 14.69%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.2331 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is 67.69%.

Vale Company 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.