Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Fifteen brokerages give Vale an average rating of Moderate Buy (1 sell, 5 hold, 8 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month target of $15.91.
• Analyst sentiment has been rising recently: Bank of America upgraded to Buy with a $19 target, JPMorgan raised its target to $18.50 (overweight), and Barclays lifted its target to $16.50.
• Insiders purchased shares on April 1 (Parenti Grazielle Tallia 10,464 shares and VP Sobrinho Sami Arap 12,990 shares at $16.11), while the stock trades near its 52‑week high (~$17.68) and has a market cap of $80.25B.

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.9077.

Several brokerages have recently commented on VALE. Wall Street Zen raised Vale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vale in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Vale from $18.00 to $18.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $18.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Vale

In other Vale news, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia acquired 10,464 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $168,575.04. Following the purchase, the insider owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Vale by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 2,216,984 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,890,000 after buying an additional 133,229 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Vale by 115.2% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 33,546 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 17,955 shares in the last quarter. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter valued at $261,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in shares of Vale by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 16,509 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 5,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co purchased a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter worth about $280,000. 21.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of VALE opened at $17.68 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Vale has a 52-week low of $8.93 and a 52-week high of $17.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.00. The company has a market capitalization of $80.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57 and a beta of 0.53.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($1.42). Vale had a return on equity of 20.16% and a net margin of 6.12%.The company had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.86 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Company Profile

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.

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