Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Peabody Energy Corporation has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from five brokerages, with one hold and four buy ratings.
• The average target price among analysts for Peabody Energy stock is $21.60, although some firms have lowered their estimates recently.
• Peabody Energy is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, with a yield of 1.9%, scheduled for September 3rd, reflecting a low payout ratio of 11.19%.

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.60.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BTU shares. UBS Group started coverage on Peabody Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Benchmark dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, B. Riley cut their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 315.0% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 57.7% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 48.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 70.7% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

BTU stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.06. The stock had a trading volume of 6,104,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,821,303. Peabody Energy has a 52-week low of $9.61 and a 52-week high of $29.94. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $14.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.45. The company has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59 and a beta of 0.53.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The coal producer reported ($0.06) earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $890.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $944.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.13%.

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.