Verus Capital Partners LLC Sells 68,198 Shares of Vale S.A. $VALE

Verus Capital Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 51.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 63,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 68,198 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Vale were worth $1,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VALE. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Vale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna lifted its stake in Vale by 128.3% in the 4th quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Vale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vale from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Vale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, June 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.15.

Vale Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:VALE opened at $15.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.67 and a beta of 0.46. Vale S.A. has a twelve month low of $9.36 and a twelve month high of $17.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $15.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.82. 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 data on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.47 billion. Vale had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 21.10%. Equities research analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Vale

Here are the key news stories impacting Vale this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vale’s board approved a new buyback program for up to 100 million shares, which could reduce the share count and signal management’s confidence in the company’s valuation and cash generation. Vale Launches New 100 Million-Share Buyback Program
• Positive Sentiment: The company also approved approximately BRL 8.6 billion in shareholder distributions, adding to the appeal for income-focused investors. Vale Approves BRL 8.6 Billion Payout and New Share Buyback Program
• Positive Sentiment: Vale highlighted year-over-year growth in its second-quarter results and launched the Serra Sul expansion, potentially supporting longer-term iron ore production and revenue growth. Vale Posts Strong Q2 Results and Launches Serra Sul Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Vale announced new board leadership, including a vice chairman and lead independent director, while separately reporting compliance with Brazil’s corporate-governance code. These moves may improve oversight but have limited immediate earnings impact. Vale Strengthens Board Leadership
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter EPS of $0.31 missed the $0.46 consensus estimate, while revenue of $10.24 billion came in below expectations of $10.47 billion. The results reinforce concerns after Vale’s recent earnings shortfall. Vale Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded VALE from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding fresh analyst pressure to the stock. Shares remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating continued technical weakness. Zacks Research

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.