Analysts Set Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) PT at $16.98

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.98.

Several analysts recently weighed in on VALE shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vale in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Vale from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th.

Vale Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of VALE opened at $12.19 on Tuesday. Vale has a one year low of $11.88 and a one year high of $16.60. The company has a market cap of $54.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.98. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.95.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last posted its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $13.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Vale will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its stake in Vale by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 9,254,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $124,007,000 after purchasing an additional 150,918 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Vale by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,724,828 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $90,112,000 after purchasing an additional 289,495 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new stake in Vale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $290,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Vale by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,606,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,323,000 after purchasing an additional 139,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of Vale by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 33,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 5,591 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.