Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading Down 5% – Should You Sell?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s share price was down 5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $13.96 and last traded at $13.98. Approximately 776,546 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,770,598 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on BTU shares. Benchmark dropped their price target on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. B. Riley reduced their price objective on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 5.16 and a beta of 0.49.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $937.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.57 million. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. The business’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.19%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 315.0% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,613 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 70.7% in the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Peabody Energy

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.