Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading Down 5.1% – Here’s What Happened

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU)’s stock price dropped 5.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $27.86 and last traded at $27.9340. 502,402 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 3,136,952 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. B. Riley Financial cut their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $26.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.88.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.01. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $24.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.79. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.62 and a beta of 0.34.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The coal producer reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.38) by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 5.22% and a negative net margin of 4.56%.Peabody Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.23) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 0.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is -20.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 17,838 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 27,849 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,078 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 588 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,103 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 24,328 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.