Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading 5.6% Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) was up 5.6% on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $14.25 and last traded at $14.29. Approximately 2,566,686 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 3,288,197 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.53.

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 firm had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of 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 target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 2,333 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,474,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $6,860,000 after acquiring an additional 7,586 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,889,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,766 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 5,940 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.17. The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.49.

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.