Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.04.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America upgraded Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $11.00 to $11.50 in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, May 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Vale from $10.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $11.00 price target (down from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

Vale Stock Performance

NYSE:VALE traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $9.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 26,528,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,831,046. The firm has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.45 and a 200-day moving average of $9.43. Vale has a 12 month low of $8.06 and a 12 month high of $12.21.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.39 billion. Vale had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 17.38%. Research analysts expect that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Vale by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 47,163,226 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $418,338,000 after acquiring an additional 10,557,888 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vale during the first quarter worth approximately $371,778,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Vale by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 33,995,398 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $301,541,000 after acquiring an additional 5,775,590 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd raised its stake in shares of Vale by 165.9% during the first quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 31,257,989 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $311,955,000 after acquiring an additional 19,500,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vale by 49.3% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 18,238,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $161,773,000 after acquiring an additional 6,023,144 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is 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.