Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading 5.8% Higher – Still a Buy?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) shot up 5.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $14.33 and last traded at $14.40. 1,117,238 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 4,570,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. Benchmark reduced their target price on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. B. Riley decreased their price objective on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. The business had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. Peabody Energy’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 315.0% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 70.7% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

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.