Vale (NYSE:VALE) Stock Price Target Lowered at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group lowered Vale’s price target from $15.00 to $14.50 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying approximately 14.31% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Vale shares fell 2.6% to $12.69, below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $15.71.
• Vale’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $0.36 versus the $0.46 consensus and revenue of $10.24 billion versus estimates of $10.47 billion; institutional investors own 21.85% of the company.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by analysts at UBS Group from $15.00 to $14.50 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the basic materials company's stock. UBS Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 14.31% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on VALE. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Vale from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $15.50 price target on shares of Vale in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Vale from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Freedom Broker lowered shares of Vale from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.71.

Vale Trading Down 2.6%

VALE stock traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $12.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 24,480,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,841,281. Vale has a 12 month low of $11.38 and a 12 month high of $17.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business's 50 day moving average price is $14.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.22. The company has a market cap of $57.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.91 and a beta of 0.42.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.47 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 5.11%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vale will post 1.70 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VALE. Ramsey Quantitative Systems bought a new position in shares of Vale during the second quarter valued at approximately $56,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vale in the first quarter worth about $83,000. Foster Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vale by 6.9% during the third quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 11,697 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Quartz Partners LLC bought a new stake in Vale during the 1st quarter valued at $161,000. Finally, Keybank National Association OH purchased a new position in Vale in the first quarter valued at about $162,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vale Company Profile

Vale SA is a Brazil-based global mining and logistics company best known for producing iron ore and iron ore pellets, key raw materials used in steelmaking. The company also produces nickel, copper, manganese ore, coal and other mineral products, with operations spanning exploration, extraction, processing and transportation.

Vale operates an extensive logistics network that includes railways, ports and maritime transportation systems, primarily supporting the movement of minerals from its production sites to domestic and international customers.

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