MIdWestOne Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stake in Vale S.A. $VALE

MIdWestOne Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 133,267 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 47,867 shares during the quarter. MIdWestOne Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Vale were worth $1,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 89,322,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,163,896,000 after purchasing an additional 32,864,929 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 46,215,387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $501,715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910,266 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 28,961,848 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,526,000 after purchasing an additional 4,151,563 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 22,272,507 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $241,879,000 after purchasing an additional 2,192,285 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Vale by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 20,809,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $271,145,000 after purchasing an additional 9,103,727 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VALE. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vale from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vale in a report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vale in a report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Vale from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Vale from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.65.

Vale Stock Up 3.0%

NYSE VALE opened at $15.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $69.81 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96 and a beta of 0.46. Vale S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $8.97 and a fifty-two week high of $17.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia purchased 10,464 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of Vale stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $209,268.90. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing.

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.