Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Short Interest Update

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 83,610,000 shares, a decline of 12.2% from the April 30th total of 95,200,000 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 31,900,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VALE. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on Vale in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Vale from $10.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America upgraded Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. CICC Research started coverage on Vale in a report on Monday, May 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vale presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.04.

Vale Stock Performance

NYSE:VALE traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $9.48. 32,894,504 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,883,579. The firm has a market cap of $43.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.83. Vale has a one year low of $8.06 and a one year high of $12.05. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $9.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.02). Vale had a return on equity of 17.38% and a net margin of 16.15%. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.39 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Vale will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Vale by 206.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 3,092.0% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 3,092 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 68.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vale Company Profile

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.