Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.8846.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VALE shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Vale from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $15.00 price objective on Vale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Vale Price Performance

NYSE:VALE opened at $16.90 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $14.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.62. Vale has a 1-year low of $8.06 and a 1-year high of $17.72.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Vale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.2331 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 157.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Vale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna raised its stake in shares of Vale by 128.3% in the fourth quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 60.0% during the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vale during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co bought a new stake in Vale in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

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.