Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) Given “Buy” Rating at Benchmark

Benchmark restated their buy rating on shares of Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) in a report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $29.00 price objective on the energy company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $27.00.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Singular Research cut shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com cut Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock opened at $27.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.69. Alliance Resource Partners has a 1-year low of $18.32 and a 1-year high of $30.56. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $26.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.61. The company has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.16.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The energy company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.38). Alliance Resource Partners had a net margin of 18.52% and a return on equity of 23.74%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alliance Resource Partners will post 3.19 EPS for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.01%. Alliance Resource Partners’s payout ratio is currently 79.55%.

Insider Activity at Alliance Resource Partners

In other Alliance Resource Partners news, SVP Timothy J. Whelan sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $280,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 157,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,422,488. This represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alliance Resource Partners

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 89.8% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 72,099 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,764,000 after purchasing an additional 34,106 shares during the period. BCS Wealth Management lifted its stake in Alliance Resource Partners by 5.7% during the third quarter. BCS Wealth Management now owns 19,495 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares in the last quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 11.3% in the third quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,363 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 2,377 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the third quarter worth approximately $72,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $7,500,000. 18.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliance Resource Partners Company Profile

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.