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

Shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.67.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VALE shares. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Vale in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Vale from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vale from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Vale in a research note on Saturday, March 30th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $12.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $12.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.97. Vale has a 1 year low of $11.52 and a 1 year high of $16.08.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.48). The firm had revenue of $13.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.95 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 20.00% and a net margin of 19.10%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vale will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.3182 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 12th. This represents a yield of 9.7%. Vale’s payout ratio is 64.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VALE. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its position in shares of Vale by 125.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 24,417 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 13,600 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vale by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,446 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 2,899 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in shares of Vale by 28.3% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 30,966 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $619,000 after purchasing an additional 6,829 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Vale by 55.5% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 151,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 54,151 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vale during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $277,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.