Peabody Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:BTU)

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 23,312 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 83% compared to the average volume of 12,706 call options.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 0.5 %

Peabody Energy stock traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $13.41. 1,796,078 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,768,125. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.94. Peabody Energy has a one year low of $12.15 and a one year high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. On average, research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BTU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark cut their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% in the 4th quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.