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AA vs. VALE: Alcoa vs. Vale Stock Comparison

How do Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AA is classified under Aluminum while VALE falls under Steel.

Alcoa (AA) trades as ordinary local shares, while Vale (VALE) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
Profile ItemAAVALE
NameAlcoa CorporationVale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/RegionUnited StatesBrazil
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryMetals & MiningMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustryAluminumSteel
Market Capitalization10.44 billion USD49.32 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962March 21, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AA
VALE
GSPC
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
Total Return (1Y)12.55%6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)20.53%3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.46%8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AA
VALE
GSPC
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Alcoa (AA) has an aggressive beta of 1.80, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Vale (VALE) is defensive at 0.48 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.37%33.88%
Beta (5Y)1.800.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)-75.46%-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.61M32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AA and VALE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.160.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.230.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 20.58% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Vale (VALE) at 0.26% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AA.

AA

Materials industry group

20.58%

Max
52.88%
AA
20.58%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%

VALE

Materials industry group

0.26%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
VALE
0.26%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 10.68% and Vale (VALE) at 1.01% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

AA

Materials industry group

10.68%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
AA
10.68%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%

VALE

Materials industry group

1.01%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
VALE
1.01%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 16.01% and Vale (VALE) at 19.31% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AA

Materials industry group

16.01%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
AA
16.01%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%

VALE

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
VALE
19.31%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
ROE (TTM)20.58%0.26%
ROA (TTM)7.52%6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)10.68%1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)16.01%19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)22.76%32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcoa (AA) at 7.87% and Vale (VALE) at 0.91% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Alcoa (AA) at 1,600.00% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Vale (VALE) at -61.81%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)7.87%0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)1.01%-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)1,600.00%-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcoa (AA) at 2.31 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vale (VALE) at 1.10 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VALE.

AA

Materials industry group

2.31

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
AA
2.31
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16

VALE

Materials industry group

1.10

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
VALE
1.10
Min
0.16
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 0.58 and Vale (VALE) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AA

Materials industry group

0.58

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
AA
0.58
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00

VALE

Materials industry group

0.55

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
VALE
0.55
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.311.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.580.55
Net Debt / EBITDA0.141.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 1.04% pays an industry-typical yield; Vale (VALE) at 49.02% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

AA

Materials industry group

1.04%

Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
AA
1.04%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

VALE

Materials industry group

49.02%

VALE
49.02%
Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 526.96%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Alcoa (AA) reports 6.96%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AA

Materials industry group

6.96%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
AA
6.96%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

VALE

Materials industry group

526.96%

VALE
526.96%
Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.04%49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)6.96%526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Alcoa (AA) at 6.88 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Vale (VALE) at 72.44 trades above its peer range — a wide earnings-valuation gap relative to industry peers.

AA

Materials industry group

6.88

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
AA
6.88
Min
3.93

VALE

Materials industry group

72.44

VALE
72.44
Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Alcoa (AA) at 0.73 and Vale (VALE) at 0.23 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AA

Materials industry group

0.73

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
AA
0.73
Min
0.00

VALE

Materials industry group

0.23

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
VALE
0.23
Min
0.00
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Alcoa (AA) at 1.27 and Vale (VALE) at 1.27 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AA

Materials industry group

1.27

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
AA
1.27
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17

VALE

Materials industry group

1.27

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
VALE
1.27
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Alcoa (AA) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcoa (AA) and Vale (VALE)
MetricAAVALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)6.8872.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.730.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.271.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.80%17.51%