Vale (NYSE:VALE) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vale (NYSE:VALE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Vale from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Barclays raised their target price on Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $16.50 target price on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vale in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.95.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of VALE opened at $16.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $16.20 and a 200-day moving average of $14.52. The company has a market cap of $73.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12 and a beta of 0.46. Vale has a one year low of $8.97 and a one year high of $17.94.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $9.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.53 billion. Vale had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 21.10%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vale will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vale

In other news, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $209,268.90. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 12,990 shares in the company, valued at $209,268.90. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia bought 10,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,575.04. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vale

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisory Resource Group bought a new position in shares of Vale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,434,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its position in shares of Vale by 493.9% during the 3rd quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 308,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,346,000 after buying an additional 256,244 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its position in shares of Vale by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 2,838,991 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,992,000 after buying an additional 66,896 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of Vale by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 20,809,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $271,145,000 after buying an additional 9,103,727 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Vale by 543.6% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,673,559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,175,000 after buying an additional 1,413,537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Company Profile

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.