Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.26.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lowered Vale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $14.00 to $11.50 in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays dropped their target price on Vale from $16.00 to $15.25 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Vale from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wolfe Research raised Vale from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $9.24 on Tuesday. Vale has a 1-year low of $8.38 and a 1-year high of $13.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.92 billion, a PE ratio of 6.41, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.26 and its 200-day moving average is $9.94. 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 (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $10.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.03 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 17.38% and a net margin of 16.15%. Sell-side analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3758 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a yield of 7.5%. This is an increase from Vale’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 88.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Vale by 215.9% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 206.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Vale during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Vale by 3,092.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Vale during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

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.