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

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 21,779 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 94% compared to the average daily volume of 11,255 call options.

Peabody Energy News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Peabody Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher price target — B. Riley raised its price target on BTU to $43 and reiterated a “buy” rating, signaling institutional optimism and providing fresh upside justification for investors. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large bullish options activity — Traders bought 21,779 call options (about a 94% increase vs. average), which is a near-term bullish signal and can amplify upward price moves as market-makers hedge. (Source: options flow report)
• Positive Sentiment: Operational update: Centurion longwall ahead of schedule — Company filings and the PR release note Centurion ramping faster than planned and that key operational/financial metrics met or exceeded 2025 guidance, supporting better cash-flow prospects. Peabody Reports Results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075/share (payable March 10), which can support investor interest and income buyers even though the yield is modest. Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings materials / transcripts available — Multiple transcripts and write-ups were published (call transcripts on MSN, Yahoo, Seeking Alpha), useful for investors digging into management commentary and forward guidance. MSN Transcript Yahoo
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results: slight EPS miss and revenue down year-over-year — Peabody reported $0.09 EPS (missed consensus by $0.01) and revenue declined ~9% YoY; net margin and ROE remain slightly negative, which tempers the bullish headlines. Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade from Zacks — Zacks moved BTU from “hold” to “strong sell,” which may pressure sentiment among retail and some institutional investors. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation / downgrade commentary — Some analysts/commentators note that after a large rally (roughly 95% over the past year), near-term upside looks less compelling and valuation sits at the higher end of recent ranges, which could cap further gains. Seeking Alpha

Peabody Energy Price Performance

BTU opened at $36.88 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.67. Peabody Energy has a 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $39.95. The company has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.96 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The coal producer reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.01). Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 0.93% and a negative net margin of 1.37%.The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -103.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Peabody Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. B. Riley Securities raised their price target on Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.20.

Insider Transactions at Peabody Energy

In related news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total transaction of $73,693.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 82,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,819,803.56. This represents a 2.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 197.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 581,931 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $16,457,000 after buying an additional 386,470 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,830,000. Steinberganna Wealth Management purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,555,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its position in Peabody Energy by 225.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 33,686 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 23,327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gate City Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the second quarter worth about $8,645,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.