Brokerages Set Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) PT at $35.63

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.1250.

Several research firms have recently commented on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Peabody Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen raised Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, B. Riley Financial downgraded Peabody Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th.

Insider Transactions at Peabody Energy

In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total transaction of $505,668.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 113,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,129,216. This represents a 10.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 763.4% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 1,513.7% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,178 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Main Street Group LTD bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the first quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Peabody Energy stock opened at $23.61 on Monday. Peabody Energy has a 12 month low of $12.58 and a 12 month high of $41.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $31.60 and its 200-day moving average is $31.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.85 and a beta of 0.35.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The coal producer reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.40). Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 3.07% and a negative return on equity of 2.80%. The firm had revenue of $973.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $977.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. Peabody Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently -30.30%.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.