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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. B. Riley decreased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $13.49 and a 200-day moving average of $15.68. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 10.05%. The business had revenue of $937.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $976.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.19%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BTU. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth $3,474,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $6,860,000 after buying an additional 7,586 shares during the last quarter. GeoSphere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 132.2% in the fourth quarter. GeoSphere Capital Management LLC now owns 100,000 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $2,094,000 after buying an additional 56,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $916,000 after buying an additional 5,940 shares in 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.