Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $17.83 and last traded at $17.83, with a volume of 5209 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. 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 for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $23.02 and its 200-day moving average is $23.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a PE ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.99.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 7.94%.

Insider Transactions at Peabody Energy

In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,939,759.20. This trade represents a 13.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 79.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $4,693,000 after purchasing an additional 77,525 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,714,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $77,473,000 after acquiring an additional 216,887 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 7.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $202,546,000 after acquiring an additional 540,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.4% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 200,073 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after acquiring an additional 125,244 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.