Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading Up 5.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) were up 5.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $13.67 and last traded at $13.58. Approximately 1,319,841 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 2,774,660 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BTU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $16.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.94. 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 Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the fourth 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, Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.