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

Shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.3750.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VALE. Jefferies Financial Group set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Vale from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Vale from $14.50 to $15.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th.

Vale Stock Performance

VALE opened at $16.92 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.68 and its 200-day moving average is $11.79. The stock has a market cap of $76.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.53. Vale has a twelve month low of $8.06 and a twelve month high of $17.34.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $10.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.39 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 14.69%. On average, analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.2331 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. Vale’s payout ratio is currently 67.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Vale by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new position in Vale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Vale by 98.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,021 shares during the period. 21.85% of the stock is 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.