RIO vs. VALE: Rio Tinto vs. Vale Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Rio Tinto (RIO) 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

Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE) both belong to the Metals & Mining industry, though RIO is classified under Diversified Metals & Mining while VALE falls under Steel.

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE) trade as ADRs — their core financials are comparable, but keep FX, depositary-program fees, and dividend withholding in view for each.

Company profile comparison for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Profile Item	RIO	VALE
Name	Rio Tinto plc ADR	Vale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/Region	United Kingdom	Brazil
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Diversified Metals & Mining	Steel
Market Capitalization	136.19 billion USD	49.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 28, 1990	March 21, 2002
Security Type	ADR	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RIO

VALE

GSPC

Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
Total Return (1Y)	30.54%	6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	16.90%	3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.68%	8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RIO

VALE

GSPC

Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.72%	33.88%
Beta (5Y)	0.63	0.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.25%	-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.35M	32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RIO 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.85	0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.26	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.31% and Vale (VALE) at 0.26% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

RIO

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
RIO: 19.31%
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%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 19.59% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vale (VALE) at 1.01%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

RIO

Materials industry group

19.59%

Max: 38.66%
RIO: 19.59%
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%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 28.05% and Vale (VALE) at 19.31% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

RIO

Materials industry group

28.05%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
RIO: 28.05%
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%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
ROE (TTM)	19.31%	0.26%
ROA (TTM)	8.11%	6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.59%	1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.05%	19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.75%	32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 7.42% 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.

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at -13.97% and Vale (VALE) at -61.81% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.42%	0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.24%	-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-13.97%	-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-7.23%	-48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.42 and Vale (VALE) at 1.10 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

RIO

Materials industry group

1.42

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
RIO: 1.42
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

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.32 and Vale (VALE) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RIO

Materials industry group

0.32

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
RIO: 0.32
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

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.42	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.32	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.58	1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Rio Tinto (RIO) at 5.59% and Vale (VALE) at 49.02% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

RIO

Materials industry group

5.59%

RIO: 5.59%
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%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) reports 54.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RIO

Materials industry group

54.46%

Max: 83.62%
RIO: 54.46%
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%

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.59%	49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	54.46%	526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 11.35 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.

RIO

Materials industry group

11.35

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
RIO: 11.35
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

Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.20 prices around its industry’s middle — VALE costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
RIO: 2.20
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

Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.08 and Vale (VALE) at 1.27 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

RIO

Materials industry group

2.08

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
RIO: 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

Rio Tinto (RIO) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rio Tinto (RIO) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	RIO	VALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	11.35	72.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	0.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.08	1.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.64%	17.51%