Vale S.A. (VALE) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.81.

Several research firms recently commented on VALE. Barclays lowered their target price on Vale from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Vale from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Vale from $16.50 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Vale from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Vale from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VALE. Ramsey Quantitative Systems acquired a new stake in Vale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $56,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vale during the 1st quarter valued at about $83,000. Foster Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vale by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 11,697 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Quartz Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vale in the 1st quarter worth approximately $161,000. Finally, Keybank National Association OH acquired a new position in shares of Vale in the 1st quarter worth approximately $162,000. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $13.36 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $14.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.30. Vale has a 52 week low of $10.77 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.64 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.10). Vale had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 19.87%. The business had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.47 billion. Analysts anticipate that Vale will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th were issued a $0.3088 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 13th. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.80%.

About Vale

Vale SA is a Brazil-based global mining company and one of the world’s major producers of iron ore and iron ore pellets, which are used primarily in steelmaking. The company also produces nickel, copper, manganese, coal and other mineral products, serving customers in the steel, energy and technology industries.

Founded in 1942 as Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, the company was privatized in 1997 and adopted the Vale name in 2007. Its operations are concentrated in Brazil, particularly in the states of Pará and Minas Gerais, while its base-metals business has mining and processing activities in countries including Canada and Indonesia.

Vale also operates an integrated logistics system that includes railways, ports and maritime transportation infrastructure used to move its products from mining regions to domestic and international markets.