Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $1.85 Million Stock Holdings in Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 158,561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,494 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Vale were worth $1,852,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Vale by 6.3% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 7,951,020 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,868,000 after purchasing an additional 468,432 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,126,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in Vale by 274.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 162,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 119,061 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its stake in Vale by 723.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 2,035,477 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,774,000 after buying an additional 1,788,205 shares during the period. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new position in Vale in the third quarter worth approximately $1,422,000. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $8.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $38.69 billion, a PE ratio of 4.00, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average is $9.74 and its 200 day moving average is $10.45. Vale S.A. has a 52 week low of $8.62 and a 52 week high of $15.52.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.15. Vale had a return on equity of 21.07% and a net margin of 22.59%. The business had revenue of $9.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on VALE. UBS Group downgraded Vale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $14.00 to $11.50 in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vale from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Vale from $16.50 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Vale from $16.00 to $15.25 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vale has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.38.

Vale Profile

Vale SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services.