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

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $16.67.

VALE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price target (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Vale in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vale from $20.50 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Vale from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a research note on Saturday, March 30th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VALE. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in Vale in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Systematic Alpha Investments LLC acquired a new position in Vale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Vale by 423.1% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,578 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vale in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $12.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.59 and a 200 day moving average of $13.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Vale has a 52 week low of $11.52 and a 52 week high of $16.08. The company has a market capitalization of $55.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.97.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.48). Vale had a net margin of 19.10% and a return on equity of 20.00%. The company had revenue of $13.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.95 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vale will post 2.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 13th were paid a $0.3182 dividend. This represents a yield of 9.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 12th. Vale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.48%.

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.