UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Price

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at UBS Group from $34.50 to $36.50 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the coal producer’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would indicate a potential downside of 7.44% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.88.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BTU traded up $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $39.43. 1,886,146 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,301,288. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $41.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $35.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a PE ratio of -87.88 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 0.93%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.25 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was 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 $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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction on 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 owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,129,216. This trade represents a 10.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 104.3% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 763.4% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 258.7% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently 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.