Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.5615.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Vale from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Vale from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $14.50 to $15.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $16.50 price target on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake 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. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Vale by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of VALE opened at $15.13 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $68.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.02 and a beta of 0.52. Vale has a 52-week low of $8.06 and a 52-week high of $17.72.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($1.42). The company had revenue of $11.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.86 billion. Vale had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 20.16%. Research analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.