Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $41.14 and last traded at $37.4270, with a volume of 9889330 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $36.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BTU. Wall Street Zen raised Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Zacks Research cut Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Peabody Energy from $34.00 to $34.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.38.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -83.17 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50-day moving average of $34.97 and a 200-day moving average of $30.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.85.

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 period in the previous year, the business posted $0.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -66.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total value of $73,693.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 82,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,819,803.56. This trade represents a 2.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total transaction 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 197.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 581,931 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $16,457,000 after acquiring an additional 386,470 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,425,459 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $117,363,000 after purchasing an additional 354,099 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $772,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,830,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,552,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Peabody Energy

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.