Wall Street Zen Downgrades Vale (NYSE:VALE) to Hold

Vale (NYSE:VALE) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Vale from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $11.00 to $14.20 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “cautious” rating and issued a $15.50 price target on shares of Vale in a report on Monday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Vale from $14.50 to $15.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.88.

Vale Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of NYSE:VALE opened at $16.69 on Friday. 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 $8.06 and a 52 week high of $17.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.57.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($1.42). Vale had a return on equity of 20.16% and a net margin of 6.12%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vale

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Vale in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna grew its stake in shares of Vale by 128.3% in the fourth quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vale in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vale by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in Vale by 15,360.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. 21.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vale

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.