Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a weaker than expected 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 trading hands.

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 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is currently 7.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised 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 Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 292.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.89. The stock has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.32.

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.