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

Key Points

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Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $15.42, but opened at $14.25. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $15.15, with a volume of 1,735,674 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark decreased their target price on 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 target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Peabody Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.60.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 7.0%

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $14.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.05% and a net margin of 8.73%. The firm had revenue of $937.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.57 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.19%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $881,000. Arista Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $134,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $151,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 4.8% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 297,945 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $3,998,000 after buying an additional 13,609 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 225.2% in the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 33,686 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 23,327 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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