Vale (NYSE:VALE) Hits New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $8.22 and last traded at $8.28, with a volume of 43596186 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.83.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of Vale from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America raised Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $11.00 to $11.50 in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Vale in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Vale from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vale has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.65.

Vale Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.39, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.73. The stock's fifty day moving average is $9.63 and its 200-day moving average is $9.78.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $10.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.03 billion. Vale had a return on equity of 17.38% and a net margin of 16.15%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vale S.A. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Vale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3758 per share. This represents a yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from Vale's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.30. Vale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.08%.

Institutional Trading of Vale

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in Vale by 215.9% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,780 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Vale by 206.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,938 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vale by 3,092.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 3,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,092 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Vale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Vale by 68.3% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares during 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.