Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 19,110,000 shares, an increase of 6.0% from the April 15th total of 18,020,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,300,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.8 days.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BTU traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.53. 2,763,992 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,450,944. Peabody Energy has a 12 month low of $17.71 and a 12 month high of $27.24. The company's 50 day moving average price is $23.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.87 billion, a PE ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 1.01.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $980.03 million. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 11.62% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.36%.

Insider Transactions at Peabody Energy

In related news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total value of $167,714.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,464 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,854,150.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,957,602 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $338,611,000 after purchasing an additional 2,473,286 shares during the period. Thomist Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 483.0% in the first quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP now owns 2,024,769 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $49,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,677,448 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 106.1% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,154,535 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $52,398,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109,261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Peabody Energy by 4,386.6% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 646,648 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $15,688,000 after acquiring an additional 632,235 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $11,087,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Peabody Energy in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $28.25.

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.