Vale Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Decline 22% Y/Y

Vale S.A. VALE reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share of 20 cents, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 53 cents. The bottom line marked a 64% plunge from earnings of 56 cents per share reported in the year-ago quarter, which reflected lower iron ore sales volumes and prices. Lower sales volume and prices for nickel, somewhat offset by higher copper revenues, also contributed to the decline.Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.Including one-time items, Vale reported a loss of 16 cents per share against earnings of 56 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. This was mainly due to the impact of the recognition of an impairment of $1.4 billion related to the Thompson nickel operations and $540 million related to the Voisey’s Bay Mine Extension project.Vale’s Q4 Revenues Reflect Lower Iron Ore Sales & VolumesVale’s net operating revenues were down 22% year over year to around $10.1 billion. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $10 billion.The Iron Solutions segment generated net operating revenues of $8.15 billion, which marked a 26% decline from last year’s comparable quarter due to a 10% decline in sales volumes and prices.The Energy Transition Metals segment’s net operating revenues dipped 0.5% year over year to $1.97 billion.  Nickel revenues were down 9% year over year to $1.07 billion, attributed to a 2% dip in sales volume and a 12% decline in prices. Copper revenues gained 13% to $0.96 billion, aided by a 16% jump in prices that offset the impact of a 3% dip in sales volumes.Vale’s Margins Contract in Q4In the third quarter, the cost of goods sold was around $6.3 billion, down 9% from the year-ago quarter. The gross profit plunged 37% year over year to $3.86 billion. The gross margin was 33.1% compared with 29.9% in the year-ago quarter.Selling, general and administrative expenditures were up 41% year over year to $206 million. Research and development expenses were $253 million, 9.5% higher than the year-ago quarter.Adjusted operating income was $2.99 billion. The figure marked a 47% slump from the year-ago quarter. Adjusted EBITDA was around $3.8 billion, 41% lower than the year-ago quarter. Pro-forma adjusted EBITDA (including associates and joint ventures and excluding expenses related to Brumadinho) was down 40% year over year to approximately $4.12 billion, mainly reflecting lower iron ore prices and sales volumes. Proforma EBITDA margin was 41% in the fourth quarter compared with 53% in the year-ago quarter. The Iron Solutions segment’s adjusted EBITDA was $4 billion, which was 39% lower than the fourth quarter of 2023. Energy Transition Metals’ EBITDA was up 2% to $541 million from the year-ago quarter. Copper operations witnessed a 40% year-over-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA to $526 million, attributed to increased sales volumes and prices. Adjusted EBITDA for nickel was $55 million, a 64% drop from the year-ago quarter due to declining average prices and lower volumes sold.VALE’s Balance Sheet & Cash FlowsVale exited 2024 with cash and cash equivalents of around $4.9 billion compared with around $3.6 billion at the end of the prior year. Cash flow generated from operations was $9.4 billion compared with $13.2 billion in 2023. Gross debt and leases at the end of 2024 were $15.5 billion compared with $13.9 billion at the end of 2023.Vale’s Performance in 2024Vale reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.82 in 2024, down 1% year over year. Including one-time items, the company reported earnings of $1.44 per share compared with $1.83 in 2023. Vale’s net operating revenues were down 9% year over year to around $38 billion. Vale’s Price PerformanceIn the past year, shares of Vale have lost 24.7% compared with the industry’s 22.9% decline.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchVale’s Zacks RankVale currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Vale’s Peer Performances in Q4Teck Resources Limited TECK reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share of 33 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents. The bottom line marked a substantial improvement from the earnings per share of three cents in the year-ago quarter. The increase was primarily led by higher base metal prices and increased copper and zinc in concentrate sales volumes.Net sales amounted to $1.99 billion, indicating a 47% year-over-year improvement. The top line surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion.Freeport-McMoRan Inc. FCX recorded net income of $274 million or 19 cents per share for fourth-quarter 2024, down around 29.3% from $388 million or 27 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.Revenues declined nearly 3.1% year over year to $5,720 million. The figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5,921.9 million. The company witnessed lower copper sales in the reported quarter.Southern Copper Corporation SCCO reported fourth-quarter 2024 earnings of $1.01 per share, which marginally missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02. The bottom line, however, marked a 74% surge from the year-ago quarter. Results were driven by higher sales volumes for copper, zinc and silver as well as improved prices. SCCO’s fourth-quarter performance was partially hurt by a decline in the molybdenum sales volume. The company posted sales of $2.784 billion, which beat the consensus estimate of $2.780 billion. 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(VALE): Free Stock Analysis Report Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Teck Resources Ltd (TECK): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks