Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Down 4.4% - Here's What Happened

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) shares were down 4.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $13.17 and last traded at $13.20. Approximately 996,250 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 3,491,319 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on BTU. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. B. Riley decreased their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $13.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.10.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. The business had revenue of $937.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $976.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. 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 was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is 11.19%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,613 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 70.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 84.9% during the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

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.