Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Price Down 3% – Time to Sell?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) dropped 3% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $13.19 and last traded at $13.12. Approximately 170,712 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 2,927,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTU has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark lowered 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.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $15.29 and its 200-day moving average is $20.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

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

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

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.