Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.3077.

Several brokerages have weighed in on VALE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Vale in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Scotiabank cut their price target on Vale from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vale in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Vale from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of VALE opened at $14.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.24. Vale has a fifty-two week low of $9.36 and a fifty-two week high of $17.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.80. The company has a market capitalization of $67.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11 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). The company had revenue of $9.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.53 billion. Vale had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 21.10%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vale will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna increased its stake in Vale by 128.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in Vale by 15,360.0% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,072 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Vale during the third quarter worth $34,000. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.