AU vs. VALE: AngloGold Ashanti vs. Vale Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though AU is classified under Gold while VALE falls under Steel.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Profile Item	AU	VALE
Name	AngloGold Ashanti plc	Vale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/Region	United States	Brazil
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Steel
Market Capitalization	47.04 billion USD	49.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 5, 1998	March 21, 2002
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VALE

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
Total Return (1Y)	47.97%	6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	87.34%	3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	42.76%	8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VALE

GSPC

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.11%	33.88%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-51.75%	-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.54M	32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AU 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.73	0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.07	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 44.33% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Vale (VALE) at 0.26% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AU.

AU

Materials industry group

44.33%

Max: 52.88%
AU: 44.33%
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%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 32.64% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vale (VALE) at 1.01%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AU

Materials industry group

32.64%

Max: 38.66%
AU: 32.64%
Q3: 15.98%
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%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 45.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Vale (VALE) at 19.31%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AU

Materials industry group

45.36%

Max: 66.70%
AU: 45.36%
Q3: 28.92%
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%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
ROE (TTM)	44.33%	0.26%
ROA (TTM)	24.39%	6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.64%	1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.36%	19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)	54.84%	32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 70.78% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Vale (VALE) at 0.91% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 122.32% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Vale (VALE) at -61.81% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for AU.

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	70.78%	0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	30.02%	-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	122.32%	-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.95%	-48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 2.55 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.

AU

Materials industry group

2.55

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
AU: 2.55
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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 0.16 and Vale (VALE) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AU

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
AU: 0.16
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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.55	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.16	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.17	1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 4.88% and Vale (VALE) at 49.02% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

AU

Materials industry group

4.88%

AU: 4.88%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
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%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) 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 AngloGold Ashanti (AU) reports 58.78%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AU

Materials industry group

58.78%

Max: 83.62%
AU: 58.78%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
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%

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.88%	49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	58.78%	526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 12.09 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Vale (VALE) at 72.44 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for VALE’s trailing earnings.

AU

Materials industry group

12.09

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
AU: 12.09
Q1: 11.96
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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) at 0.23 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 3.91 prices around its industry’s middle — VALE costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AU

Materials industry group

3.91

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
AU: 3.91
Median: 1.87
Q1: 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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Vale (VALE) at 1.27 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while AngloGold Ashanti (AU) at 5.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — AU is pricier on assets.

AU

Materials industry group

5.01

Max: 6.59
AU: 5.01
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
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

AngloGold Ashanti (AU) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AngloGold Ashanti (AU) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	AU	VALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.09	72.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.91	0.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.01	1.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.61%	17.51%