Vale S.A. $VALE Shares Acquired by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 5.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,685,915 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,205,280 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Vale were worth $376,843,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Vale during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna boosted its stake in shares of Vale by 128.3% during the fourth quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Vale by 15,360.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 3,072 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of VALE opened at $14.79 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $15.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.81. Vale S.A. has a twelve month low of $9.36 and a twelve month high of $17.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.08 and a beta of 0.46.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $9.26 billion for 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VALE. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Vale in a report on Friday, May 15th. Scotiabank cut their price target on Vale from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vale in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.31.

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.