Peabody Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BTU)

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 23,268 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 92% compared to the average volume of 12,106 put options.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of BTU opened at $24.08 on Wednesday. Peabody Energy has a 1 year low of $20.21 and a 1 year high of $29.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $25.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.86.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.16. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, B. Riley raised their price target on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,939,759.20. This represents a 13.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BTU. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Peabody Energy by 11,390.0% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,149 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 292.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 1,533 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.