Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Price Target Raised to $44.00

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its target price boosted by Jefferies Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the coal producer’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of BTU opened at $38.54 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $30.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -132.90 and a beta of 0.41. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $39.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.99.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The coal producer reported ($0.58) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.39). The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $990.20 million. Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 0.25% and a negative net margin of 0.83%.The company’s revenue was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 13th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -103.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total value of $73,693.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 82,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,803.56. The trade was a 2.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 763.4% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 258.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 57.7% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.