Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Separately, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 target price (up previously from $27.00) on shares of Alliance Resource Partners in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

Alliance Resource Partners Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock opened at $27.31 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.54. Alliance Resource Partners has a 1 year low of $21.55 and a 1 year high of $30.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 2.36. The company has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 0.62.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The energy company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.38). Alliance Resource Partners had a return on equity of 19.09% and a net margin of 14.74%. Analysts forecast that Alliance Resource Partners will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 8th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.25%. Alliance Resource Partners’s payout ratio is currently 101.45%.

Insider Activity at Alliance Resource Partners

In related news, SVP Timothy J. Whelan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.13, for a total value of $1,256,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 93,850 shares in the company, valued at $2,358,450.50. This trade represents a 34.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 16.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alliance Resource Partners

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 321.3% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 969 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in Alliance Resource Partners in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 350.0% in the fourth quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 223.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,406 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 2,353 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.11% of the company’s stock.

Alliance Resource Partners Company Profile

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.