VALE S.A. (VALE) closed the most recent trading day at $17.62, moving -1.18% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.85% gain on the day.Coming into today, shares of the company had lost 12.3% in the past month. In that same time, the Basic Materials sector lost 5.91%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.37%.Investors will be hoping for strength from VALE as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect VALE to post earnings of $1.67 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 98.81%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $16.17 billion, up 50.27% from the prior-year quarter.VALE's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $5.70 per share and revenue of $62.3 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +170.14% and +55.69%, respectively.Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for VALE. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 3.96% lower. VALE is holding a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell) right now.Valuation is also important, so investors should note that VALE has a Forward P/E ratio of 3.13 right now. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 4.06.It is also worth noting that VALE currently has a PEG ratio of 0.1. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. VALE's industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.1 as of yesterday's close.The Mining - Iron industry is part of the Basic Materials sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 252, which puts it in the bottom 1% of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.To follow VALE in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com. Time to Invest in Legal Marijuana If you’re looking for big gains, there couldn’t be a better time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion back in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027. After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could be a still greater bonanza for investors. Even before the latest wave of legalization, Zacks Investment Research has recommended pot stocks that have shot up as high as +285.9%. You’re invited to check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential.Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report VALE S.A. (VALE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research