StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Vale (NYSE:VALE)

Analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the basic materials company's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group dropped their price target on 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 raised shares of Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $11.00 to $11.50 in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Vale from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vale presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.13.

Vale Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Vale stock opened at $9.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.91. Vale has a 52-week low of $8.06 and a 52-week high of $13.14. The company's 50 day moving average price is $9.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.83.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in Vale by 215.9% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Vale by 206.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,938 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vale by 3,092.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 3,092 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.

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