Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Vale (NYSE:VALE) Stock Price

Vale (NYSE:VALE) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $18.00 to $19.50 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $16.50 target price on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays increased their target price on Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vale in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on Vale from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Vale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.87.

Vale Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE VALE opened at $16.68 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $75.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.78 and a beta of 0.53. Vale has a one year low of $8.66 and a one year high of $17.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.82.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($1.42). The firm had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.86 billion. Vale had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 20.16%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vale

In other Vale news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap purchased 12,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia purchased 10,464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $168,575.04. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 10,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $168,575.04. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Vale during the third quarter worth about $20,754,000. Advisory Resource Group acquired a new stake in shares of Vale during the third quarter worth about $1,434,000. Ninety One North America Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 35.6% during the third quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. now owns 3,377,582 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,681,000 after purchasing an additional 886,214 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 5.3% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,080,222 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $194,978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002,588 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 493.9% during the third quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 308,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,346,000 after purchasing an additional 256,244 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.