Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Down 3% – Here’s Why

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s stock price fell 3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $13.19 and last traded at $13.12. 170,712 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 2,927,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 2.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $15.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its position in Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.