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

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 5.6% during mid-day trading 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 mid-day 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 earnings per share 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's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, B. Riley dropped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the first quarter worth about $336,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 284,336 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $3,853,000 after buying an additional 30,302 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 265.4% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 330,194 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $4,474,000 after buying an additional 239,826 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 2,166.6% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,189 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 13,563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 5.6 %

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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $12.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.41. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.30 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.

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