Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $12.05 and last traded at $12.11, with a volume of 2486383 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $14.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $6,860,000 after acquiring an additional 7,586 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,889,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,766 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 5,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Peabody Energy by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 19,800 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.