B. Riley Cuts Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Price Target to $19.00

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price objective reduced by B. Riley from $27.00 to $19.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the coal producer’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on BTU. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 13.4 %

Shares of NYSE BTU opened at $12.74 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a PE ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Peabody Energy has a 12 month low of $9.61 and a 12 month high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Equities analysts expect that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $15,352,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 113.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,350,855 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $28,287,000 after acquiring an additional 718,274 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $202,546,000 after acquiring an additional 540,219 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,565,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 1,543,915 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $32,330,000 after purchasing an additional 360,000 shares during the last quarter. 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.