Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Benchmark

Benchmark reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $28.00 target price on the coal producer’s stock.

Separately, B. Riley lowered their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $28.25.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE BTU traded up $0.51 on Friday, hitting $22.05. The stock had a trading volume of 3,446,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,819,138. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.38. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy has a one year low of $17.71 and a one year high of $27.24.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. The business had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.03 million. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 11.62%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Peabody Energy will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 8.36%.

Insider Activity at Peabody Energy

In related news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total value of $167,714.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,464 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,150.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Peabody Energy news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total transaction of $167,714.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,464 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,150.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $357,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $619,114.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,806 shares of company stock valued at $1,339,565. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. bought a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $261,000. Hosking Partners LLP increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 9.0% in the third quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 1,362,201 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $35,404,000 after acquiring an additional 112,092 shares during the period. Gendell Jeffrey L raised its position in Peabody Energy by 18.6% in the third quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 2,194,474 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $57,034,000 after purchasing an additional 344,793 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,306 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 787,687 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $20,472,000 after purchasing an additional 55,131 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

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.