Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.17.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VALE. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Vale from $16.50 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wolfe Research cut Vale from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Vale from $16.00 to $15.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Vale from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Vale by 180.4% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 683,428 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,331,000 after buying an additional 439,733 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group increased its holdings in Vale by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 13,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 2,144 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Vale by 47.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 283,799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,460,000 after purchasing an additional 91,897 shares during the last quarter. Deuterium Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the first quarter worth $122,000. Finally, AIA Group Ltd lifted its stake in Vale by 18.0% during the first quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 187,051 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,280,000 after purchasing an additional 28,572 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VALE opened at $10.81 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.22. The stock has a market cap of $48.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.00, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Vale has a 12 month low of $9.66 and a 12 month high of $16.08.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $9.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.61 billion. Vale had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 21.07%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Vale will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Company 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.