Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Hits New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Peabody Energy shares reached a new 52-week high of $33.29 after UBS Group upgraded the stock's price target from $17.00 to $27.00, maintaining a neutral rating.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Peabody Energy, with four analysts giving it a Buy rating and a consensus price target of $25.20.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, giving an annualized yield of 0.9%, with a payout ratio of 29.13%.

Shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $17.00 to $27.00. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Peabody Energy traded as high as $33.29 and last traded at $32.60, with a volume of 389360 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $31.74.

BTU has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Peabody Energy in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $25.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 104.3% during the second 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 last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in 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 boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 2.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a PE ratio of 31.52 and a beta of 0.67. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $20.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.04.

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

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 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.

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