Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $37.31, but opened at $35.71. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $36.1950, with a volume of 1,021,895 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BTU. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $34.00 to $34.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.38.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.45. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -79.29 and a beta of 0.54.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The coal producer reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.01). Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 0.93% and a negative net margin of 1.37%.The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation 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 Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is presently -66.67%.

Insider Transactions at Peabody Energy

In other Peabody Energy news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total transaction of $73,693.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,819,803.56. This trade represents a 2.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total value of $505,668.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at $4,129,216. This represents a 10.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 763.4% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 258.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

About Peabody Energy

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.