Vale (NYSE:VALE) Given New $18.50 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $18.00 to $18.50 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 8.54% from the stock’s previous close.

VALE has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Vale from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $14.50 to $15.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research cut Vale from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Vale from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Vale from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $15.91.

Vale Stock Performance

Shares of VALE stock traded up $0.40 on Friday, hitting $17.05. 31,074,606 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,832,238. Vale has a 1-year low of $8.93 and a 1-year high of $17.72. The company’s fifty day moving average is $15.99 and its 200 day moving average is $13.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $77.37 billion, a PE ratio of 30.42 and a beta of 0.53.

Vale (NYSE:VALE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($1.42). The company had revenue of $11.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.86 billion. Vale had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 20.16%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vale will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vale

In related news, insider Parenti Grazielle Tallia acquired 10,464 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $168,575.04. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 10,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,575.04. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sobrinho Sami Arap bought 12,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, for a total transaction of $209,268.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 12,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $209,268.90. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VALE. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Vale by 2,239.6% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 41,596,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $541,996,000 after purchasing an additional 39,818,066 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Vale by 58.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 89,322,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,163,896,000 after buying an additional 32,864,929 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vale by 42.4% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 65,132,572 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $848,677,000 after acquiring an additional 19,397,396 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD acquired a new stake in Vale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $123,532,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Vale by 77.8% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 9,103,727 shares during 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.