Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Up 7.9% - Still a Buy?

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 7.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $14.29 and last traded at $14.22. 1,269,205 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 3,603,012 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.18.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BTU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark cut their price target on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. B. Riley cut 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 note on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.52.

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, topping 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 company had revenue of $937.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $976.57 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.19%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,613 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Peabody Energy by 70.7% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

About Peabody Energy

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.