Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Rating Cut to "Hold" at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies downgraded Peabody Energy from “Buy” to “Hold” and cut its price target from $30 to $18, implying about 5.9% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst views are mixed, but MarketBeat reports a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $27.62.
• Peabody reported a quarterly loss of $0.27 per share, missing the $0.05 loss analysts expected, while revenue rose 8.3% year over year to $1.10 billion.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, FinViz reports. They currently have a $18.00 target price on the coal producer's stock, down from their previous target price of $30.00. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 5.91% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research lowered Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. B. Riley Financial raised shares of Peabody Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $26.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.62.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 6.0%

Shares of NYSE:BTU opened at $17.00 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $24.60 and its 200 day moving average is $27.63. Peabody Energy has a 52-week low of $15.69 and a 52-week high of $41.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The coal producer reported ($0.27) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.22). Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 3.55% and a negative return on equity of 4.26%. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.58) earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post -0.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BTU. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 1,513.7% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,178 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 286.3% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the first quarter worth about $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 298.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,310 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 1,568.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,471 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 3,263 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

Peabody Energy is an international coal company that explores for, mines, and sells coal. Its products include thermal coal, used primarily to generate electricity, and metallurgical coal, which is used in steelmaking.

The company operates mining businesses in the United States and Australia and supplies customers in markets around the world. Its activities span coal production, processing, and marketing.

Founded in 1883, Peabody has a long history in the coal industry. The company is headquartered in St.

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