Vale (NYSE:VALE) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Vale (NYSE:VALE) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Vale from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Vale from $16.50 to $18.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Vale from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.65.

Vale Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Vale stock opened at $16.28 on Friday. Vale has a 1 year low of $8.97 and a 1 year high of $17.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market capitalization of $73.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.29 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s fifty day moving average is $16.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.14.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.08). Vale had a return on equity of 21.10% and a net margin of 7.21%.The business had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.53 billion. Analysts forecast that Vale will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Vale

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Vale by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL raised its position in Vale by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 72,358 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $943,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in Vale by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 38,134 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in Vale by 2.8% during the first quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 25,799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in Vale by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 66,870 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 853 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

About Vale

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.