Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Earns Buy Rating from Benchmark

Benchmark reiterated their buy rating on shares of Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) in a research note published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $28.00 target price on the coal producer’s stock.

Separately, B. Riley lifted their price target on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:BTU opened at $22.94 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy has a 1-year low of $17.71 and a 1-year high of $27.70.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Peabody Energy news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 24,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Peabody Energy news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 31,980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.48, for a total transaction of $814,850.40. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 78,307 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,995,262.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $357,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 52,806 shares of company stock worth $1,339,565 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 323.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,100 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 84.5% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. 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.