Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Given New $24.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price target lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $25.00 to $24.00 in a report published on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the coal producer’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Peabody Energy in a research report on Friday. B. Riley reduced their price target on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $28.25.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of BTU stock traded up $0.51 on Friday, hitting $22.05. The company had a trading volume of 3,446,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,819,138. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy has a twelve month low of $17.71 and a twelve month high of $27.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.38. The firm has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.01.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 11.62% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.03 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $357,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Peabody Energy news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 31,980 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.48, for a total transaction of $814,850.40. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 78,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,995,262.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $357,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 52,806 shares of company stock worth $1,339,565 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the third quarter worth about $182,000. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 195.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 130,756 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 86,573 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $261,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 787,687 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $20,472,000 after purchasing an additional 55,131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 16.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 20,427 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 2,848 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.