B. Riley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock

Key Points

• B. Riley has increased its target price for Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) from $18.00 to $24.00, indicating a potential upside of 29.66% from the current stock price.
• The company reported a net loss in its recent earnings results, with an EPS of ($0.06) against an estimate of ($0.04), and revenue down 14.6% year-over-year.
• Institutional investors hold a significant interest in Peabody Energy, owning 87.44% of the company's stock, with several hedge funds increasing their positions recently.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at B. Riley from $18.00 to $24.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the coal producer's stock. B. Riley's price target would suggest a potential upside of 29.66% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Peabody Energy from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.90.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

BTU traded up $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $18.51. The stock had a trading volume of 1,012,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,708,317. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $16.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.37. Peabody Energy has a 1-year low of $9.61 and a 1-year high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The coal producer reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.02). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 4.41%. The company had revenue of $890.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $944.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 117.1% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 254,131 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $5,322,000 after purchasing an additional 137,060 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Peabody Energy by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 385,988 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $8,083,000 after buying an additional 34,425 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth $2,370,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,162,000. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $628,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

About Peabody Energy

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.

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