Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.26.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VALE shares. Morgan Stanley cut Vale from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $14.50 to $11.30 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $15.25 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th.

Vale Price Performance

VALE stock opened at $9.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $9.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.43, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.91. Vale has a 52-week low of $8.38 and a 52-week high of $13.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in Vale by 215.9% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Vale by 206.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vale during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vale by 3,092.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vale during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.