Analysts Set Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) Target Price at $23.20

Key Points

• Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) has received an average consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from five research firms, with one hold rating and four buy ratings.
• The company's average 1-year price target is $23.20, indicating potential growth according to analysts.
• Peabody Energy recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.3% based on its payout ratio of 29.13%.

Shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.20.

Several research analysts have commented on BTU shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Peabody Energy from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. B. Riley boosted their target price on Peabody Energy from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 315.0% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,613 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 57.7% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 48.5% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $23.24. The company had a trading volume of 4,957,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,735,619. The company has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $17.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.85. Peabody Energy has a twelve month low of $9.61 and a twelve month high of $29.94.

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

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.13%.

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.