Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Down to $23.57

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $23.57, but opened at $21.89. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $22.56, with a volume of 928,104 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BTU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Peabody Energy in a research report on Friday. B. Riley boosted their price objective on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 1.7 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.98.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The coal producer reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.08). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 24.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.02%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $357,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $619,114.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 31,980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.48, for a total value of $814,850.40. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 78,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,995,262.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $357,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 24,279 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the first quarter worth $224,000. Rheos Capital Works Inc. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 189.8% in the first quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 579,500 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $14,059,000 after purchasing an additional 379,500 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth $5,208,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 134,193 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $3,264,000 after acquiring an additional 32,775 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.