Vale (NYSE:VALE) Trading 0.9% Higher

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) shares traded up 0.9% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $11.96 and last traded at $11.90. 12,229,755 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 55% from the average session volume of 26,899,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VALE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Vale from $16.50 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Vale from $15.00 to $14.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Vale from $16.00 to $15.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Vale from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Vale from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.17.

Vale Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $52.95 billion, a PE ratio of 6.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $10.52 and its 200-day moving average is $11.44.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The basic materials company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. Vale had a return on equity of 22.23% and a net margin of 23.07%. The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.97 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vale S.A. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were given a $0.3698 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 5th. This is an increase from Vale’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.32. Vale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VALE. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda lifted its holdings in Vale by 60.6% during the 2nd quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda now owns 21,969,937 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $245,404,000 after buying an additional 8,288,112 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Vale by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,315,171 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $195,319,000 after buying an additional 2,224,756 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Vale by 4.1% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,269,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $149,561,000 after buying an additional 485,702 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vale by 27.8% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,853,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $132,408,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its position in shares of Vale by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 10,950,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $118,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,854,940 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company’s stock.

Vale Company Profile

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.