Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Down 4% After Analyst Downgrade

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s share price fell 4% during mid-day trading on Monday after B. Riley lowered their price target on the stock from $27.00 to $19.00. B. Riley currently has a buy rating on the stock. Peabody Energy traded as low as $12.32 and last traded at $12.23. 1,209,550 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 3,171,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.73.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,346,729 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $153,841,000 after buying an additional 88,466 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,785,337 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $79,265,000 after acquiring an additional 215,614 shares during the period. Progeny 3 Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 3,620,014 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $75,803,000 after purchasing an additional 40,000 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $77,473,000 after purchasing an additional 216,887 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,620,897 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $33,942,000 after purchasing an additional 33,742 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.92. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. As a group, analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

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.