Vale (NYSE:VALE) Trading Up 0.9%

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE)’s share price rose 0.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $11.96 and last traded at $11.90. Approximately 12,229,755 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average daily volume of 26,899,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. BNP Paribas raised Vale from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Wolfe Research cut shares of Vale from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Vale from $16.00 to $15.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Vale from $16.50 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Vale from $15.00 to $14.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.17.

Vale Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. Vale had a net margin of 23.07% and a return on equity of 22.23%. The firm had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.97 billion. On average, analysts expect that Vale S.A. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Investors of record on Monday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.3698 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. This is a boost from Vale’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.32. This represents a yield of 12.1%. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.09%.

Institutional Trading of Vale

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Vale in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Vale in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Founders Capital Management boosted its stake in Vale by 111.1% during the 1st quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 3,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the second quarter worth $45,000. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vale

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.