Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.00.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BTU. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 6.1%

Shares of NYSE BTU opened at $32.34 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $33.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.67. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a PE ratio of -71.87 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy has a 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $39.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The coal producer reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently -66.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total transaction of $73,693.26. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total value of $505,668.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,129,216. The trade was a 10.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 1.0% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 72,693 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 33,359 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 10,401 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the first quarter valued at $261,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 87.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 21,414 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 9,974 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 472.8% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 195,461 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $2,576,000 after acquiring an additional 161,335 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.