Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $12.05 and last traded at $12.11, with a volume of 2486383 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 12.6 %

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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $14.85 and its 200-day moving average is $20.55. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.11%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by 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.