Considering an Investment in VALE (VALE)? Read This!

It's been a great morning session for VALE investors, who saw their shares rise 2.9% to a price of $13.81 per share. At these higher prices, is the company still fairly valued? If you are thinking about investing, make sure to check the company's fundamentals before making a decision.

VALE Is Potentially Undervalued and Trades Below Its Graham Number:

Vale S.A., 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 belongs to the Basic Materials sector, which has an average price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.03 and an average price to book (P/B) ratio of 2.08. In contrast, VALE has a trailing 12 month P/E ratio of 4.5 and a P/B ratio of 0.32.

When we divide VALE's P/E ratio by its expected EPS growth rate of the next five years, we obtain its PEG ratio of -0.31. Since it's negative, the company has negative growth expectations, and most investors will probably avoid the stock unless it has an exceptionally low P/E and P/B ratio.

Wider Gross Margins Than the Industry Average of 32.76%:

2019-12-31 2020-12-31 2021-12-31 2022-12-31
Revenue (MM) $37,570 $40,018 $54,502 $43,839
Gross Margins 43.6% 52.4% 60.1% 45.2%
Operating Margins 36.7% 46.4% 56.6% 40.6%
Net Margins -4.48% 12.2% 41.18% 42.86%
Net Income (MM) -$1,683 $4,881 $22,445 $18,788
Net Interest Expense (MM) -3,413 -3,207 -1,818 -536
Net Interest Expense (MM) -$3,413 -$3,207 -$1,818 -$536
Depreciation & Amort. (MM) -$3,726 -$3,234 -$3,034 -$3,171
Earnings Per Share -$0.33 $0.95 $4.47 $3.1
EPS Growth n/a 387.88% 370.53% -30.65%
Diluted Shares (MM) 5,128 5,133 5,017 4,371
Free Cash Flow (MM) $8,406 $9,892 $20,646 $6,039
Capital Expenditures (MM) -$3,704 -$4,430 -$5,033 -$5,446
Net Current Assets (MM) -$35,678 -$32,783 -$31,776 -$34,010
Current Ratio 1.23 1.67 1.47 1.12
Long Term Debt (MM) $15,382 $18,247 $15,997 $14,948
Net Debt / EBITDA 2.15 0.56 0.17 0.42

VALE has growing revenues and increasing reinvestment in the business, strong margins with a stable trend, and exceptional EPS growth. The company also benefits from low leverage, wider gross margins than its peer group, and generally positive cash flows. Furthermore, VALE has just enough current assets to cover current liabilities.

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

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