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

Key Points

• Peabody Energy shares fell 5.8% to approximately $25.65, with trading volume below the stock’s average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, resulting in an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $33.88; targets were recently lowered by several firms.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS loss of $0.74, missing the $0.38 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 12.7% year over year. Peabody also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, or a 1.2% annualized yield.

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) shares fell 5.8% on Friday . The company traded as low as $25.60 and last traded at $25.6510. 2,229,406 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 3,103,834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on BTU shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $26.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Peabody Energy from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. B. Riley Financial cut their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.88.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.01. The company has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of -17.09 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $25.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.41.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coal producer reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.38) by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 5.22% and a negative net margin of 4.56%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.23) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 12th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently -20.00%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 1,513.7% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,178 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Silver Grove Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation NYSE: BTU is a global coal producer and energy company. It primarily mines and sells thermal coal, which is used for electricity generation, and metallurgical coal, which is used in steelmaking. The company also markets and trades coal and provides related services, including coal transportation and land management.

Peabody operates mining assets in the United States and Australia and serves utility, industrial and steelmaking customers in domestic and international markets.

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