Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $13.35, but opened at $13.94. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $13.90, with a volume of 810,935 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Peabody Energy Trading Down 1.5 %

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 business’s fifty day moving average is $16.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.15%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,897 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the 4th 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 period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 13,234 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,556 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.