Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Up 7.6% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) traded up 7.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $33.08 and last traded at $32.9510. 1,976,990 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the average session volume of 1,870,189 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Peabody Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.33.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 1.9%

The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -112.97 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.16 and a 200-day moving average of $23.46.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The coal producer reported ($0.58) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $990.20 million. Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 0.83% and a negative return on equity of 0.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 13th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is -103.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 104.3% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 57.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 763.4% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 48.5% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 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.