Investors Buy High Volume of Peabody Energy Call Options (NYSE:BTU)

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors bought 19,812 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 19% compared to the average volume of 16,676 call options.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTU traded down $0.76 during trading on Friday, reaching $16.52. The company had a trading volume of 2,432,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,686,110. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $14.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.60. Peabody Energy has a fifty-two week low of $9.61 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 0.52.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $976.57 million. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 10.05%. Peabody Energy's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BTU. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 315.0% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,613 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 48.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 70.7% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. B. Riley decreased their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Benchmark dropped their price target on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Peabody Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.60.

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.