Vale (NYSE:VALE) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vale (NYSE:VALE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on VALE. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Vale from $13.80 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Vale from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Vale from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $11.00 to $14.20 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $16.50 price target on shares of Vale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.88.

Vale Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VALE opened at $16.69 on Friday. Vale has a 12-month low of $8.06 and a 12-month high of $17.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.55.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued 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, analysts expect that Vale will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.2331 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. Vale’s dividend payout ratio is 157.14%.

Institutional Trading of Vale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VALE. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Vale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna lifted its stake in Vale by 128.3% during the fourth quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 2,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Vale by 60.0% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in Vale during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new stake in shares of Vale during the second quarter worth $34,000. 21.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.