Vale (NYSE:VALE) Upgraded at UBS Group

Vale (NYSE:VALE) was upgraded by equities researchers at UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $15.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $13.00. UBS Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 19.57% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 12th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Saturday, March 30th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.67.

Vale Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Vale stock opened at $12.55 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Vale has a 1 year low of $11.52 and a 1 year high of $16.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $12.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.72. The stock has a market cap of $56.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93, a PEG ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.97.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.48). Vale had a return on equity of 19.59% and a net margin of 18.72%. The business had revenue of $13.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Vale will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VALE. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Vale during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Vale during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in Vale by 423.1% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

About Vale

Vale SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services.