Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $12.81, but opened at $13.28. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $13.48, with a volume of 2,146,883 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BTU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Benchmark decreased their price objective on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. B. Riley decreased their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.49. The stock's fifty day moving average is $12.94 and its 200-day moving average is $18.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $976.57 million. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. The company's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. 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, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings 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. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.