Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading Up 5.8% - What's Next?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) shares were up 5.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $14.33 and last traded at $14.40. Approximately 1,117,238 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 4,570,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. B. Riley lowered 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 Trading Up 4.9%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.34 and a 200 day moving average of $15.84. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.53.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $976.57 million. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. Peabody Energy's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BTU. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 144.2% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $3,474,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $6,860,000 after buying an additional 7,586 shares during the last quarter. GeoSphere Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 132.2% in the 4th quarter. GeoSphere Capital Management LLC now owns 100,000 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $2,094,000 after acquiring an additional 56,929 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 15.7% during 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. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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