Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) to Issue $0.08 Quarterly Dividend

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of 0.075 per share by the coal producer on Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%.

Peabody Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 11.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Peabody Energy to earn $2.94 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.30 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 10.2%.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:BTU traded up $0.10 on Thursday, hitting $21.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,076,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,657,005. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy has a one year low of $17.71 and a one year high of $27.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $24.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.40.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The coal producer reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.08). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 15.36%. The company had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.65 EPS. Peabody Energy's revenue was down 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Peabody Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. B. Riley decreased their target price on Peabody Energy from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th.

Insider Activity at Peabody Energy

In other news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $357,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at $619,114.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total transaction of $167,714.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,464 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,150.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $357,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 24,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at $619,114.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,806 shares of company stock worth $1,339,565. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.