Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Up to $21.59

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $21.59, but opened at $22.08. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $22.38, with a volume of 247,307 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Peabody Energy in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.25.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.11. The company has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 0.97.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 analysts’ expectations of $980.03 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.36%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 7,348,251 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $178,118,000 after acquiring an additional 618,395 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,019,000. Comerica Bank raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 580.4% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 54,153 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after buying an additional 46,194 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 266.2% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 93,627 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $2,271,000 after buying an additional 68,063 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 25.6% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 40,236 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,046,000 after buying an additional 8,193 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.