Vale (NYSE:VALE) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Vale (NYSE:VALE) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $18.00 to $19.50 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 16.40% from the stock’s previous close.

VALE has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Vale from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $14.50 to $15.50 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research cut Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America upgraded Vale from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $18.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $15.87.

Vale Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of VALE stock opened at $16.75 on Thursday. Vale has a fifty-two week low of $8.06 and a fifty-two week high of $17.72. The company has a market cap of $76.04 billion, a PE ratio of 29.92 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $16.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.80.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($1.42). Vale had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 20.16%. The firm had revenue of $11.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.86 billion. Equities analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vale

In related news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $209,268.90. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia bought 10,464 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $168,575.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Vale by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 2,216,984 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,890,000 after purchasing an additional 133,229 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Vale by 115.2% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 33,546 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 17,955 shares in the last quarter. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter worth about $261,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its position in shares of Vale by 49.6% in the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 16,509 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 5,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co bought a new position in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter worth about $280,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.