Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $17.98, but opened at $17.22. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $17.01, with a volume of 984,346 shares traded.

The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BTU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark upped their target price on Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 151,111 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $3,164,000 after buying an additional 3,329 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $254,000. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 72,053 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,509,000 after acquiring an additional 10,169 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 5.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.89.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in coal mining business in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, India, Brazil, Belgium, Chile, France, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Germany, and internationally. The company operates through Seaborne Thermal, Seaborne Metallurgical, Powder River Basin, Other U.S.