Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading Up 5.8% – Here’s Why

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) rose 5.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $17.69 and last traded at $17.72. Approximately 1,226,614 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 3,307,505 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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 note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. 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 report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 3.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.87 and a 200 day moving average of $22.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings 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 period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 292.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,533 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.