Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.6538.

Several research firms recently commented on VALE. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $19.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Vale from $18.50 to $19.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Vale from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $14.50 to $15.50 in a report on Thursday, March 12th.

Vale Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of VALE stock opened at $16.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.25. Vale has a 12-month low of $8.97 and a 12-month high of $17.94. The firm has a market cap of $72.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00 and a beta of 0.46.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $9.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.53 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Vale will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vale

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna boosted its position in Vale by 128.3% during the 4th quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Vale by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vale during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other 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.