Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Given “Buy” Rating at Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Benchmark currently has a $28.00 target price on the coal producer’s stock.

Separately, B. Riley cut their price objective on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $28.25.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:BTU opened at $22.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a PE ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.01. Peabody Energy has a twelve month low of $17.71 and a twelve month high of $27.24. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $24.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.34.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 11.62% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The company had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.03 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.36%.

Insider Activity at Peabody Energy

In other news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $357,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total value of $167,714.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,854,150.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $357,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $619,114.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,806 shares of company stock worth $1,339,565 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 84.5% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 17,075.0% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 48,475.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,943 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,939 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the third quarter worth $70,000. 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.