BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $5.31 Million Stock Holdings in Vale S.A. $VALE

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its position in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 493,767 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 36,200 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Vale were worth $5,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VALE. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vale by 4.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 79,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 3,704 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Vale by 46.6% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 37,613 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 11,964 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the 1st quarter valued at about $171,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 1st quarter valued at about $117,000. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $123,000. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:VALE opened at $16.13 on Friday. Vale S.A. has a 1 year low of $8.06 and a 1 year high of $17.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($1.42). Vale had a return on equity of 20.16% and a net margin of 6.12%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Vale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VALE. Jefferies Financial Group set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $16.50 target price on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Vale from $14.50 to $15.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Vale from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $11.00 to $14.20 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “cautious” rating and issued a $15.50 target price on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.88.

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.