Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Peabody Energy's short interest decreased significantly by 25.2% in August, bringing the total to 13,010,000 shares.
• The company's quarterly earnings report revealed a loss of ($0.06) EPS, missing estimates, with revenue down 14.6% year-over-year.
• Peabody Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, with an annual yield of 1.6%.

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 13,010,000 shares, adecreaseof25.2% from the July 31st total of 17,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,750,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,750,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU traded down $0.72 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $18.41. The stock had a trading volume of 3,766,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,730,238. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.37. The company has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 0.64. Peabody Energy has a 52-week low of $9.61 and a 52-week high of $29.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $890.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $944.27 million. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 4.41%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is 29.13%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BTU. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.90.

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.

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