Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Peabody Energy Corporation has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with one hold and four buy recommendations among the five research firms covering the stock.
• The company's stock is currently priced at $16.91, with a market capitalization of $2.06 billion and a recent EPS loss of ($0.06).
• Peabody Energy has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 1.8% and a payout ratio of 29.13%.

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.90.

BTU has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Peabody Energy from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a 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. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price target on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE BTU traded up $0.55 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.39. 3,649,703 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,222,260. Peabody Energy has a 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $15.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 0.64.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 3.43%.The company had revenue of $890.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $944.27 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 72,693 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 48.5% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 57.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 4,129 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,580 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.