Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday.

Separately, Benchmark boosted their price objective on Alliance Resource Partners from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ARLP opened at $26.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.63 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The business’s 50-day moving average is $25.19 and its 200-day moving average is $24.37. Alliance Resource Partners has a 1 year low of $18.32 and a 1 year high of $27.80.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The energy company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $613.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $646.17 million. Alliance Resource Partners had a net margin of 18.52% and a return on equity of 23.74%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Alliance Resource Partners will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. Alliance Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.55%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARLP. NFC Investments LLC raised its stake in Alliance Resource Partners by 28.5% during the 1st quarter. NFC Investments LLC now owns 68,100 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,365,000 after buying an additional 15,100 shares during the period. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alliance Resource Partners during the 1st quarter worth approximately $23,567,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Alliance Resource Partners during the 1st quarter worth approximately $209,000. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in Alliance Resource Partners during the 1st quarter worth approximately $254,000. Finally, Energy Income Partners LLC raised its stake in Alliance Resource Partners by 32.9% during the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 156,734 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,143,000 after buying an additional 38,775 shares during the period. 18.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alliance Resource Partners

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.