Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning.

Separately, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $29.00 price objective (up previously from $27.00) on shares of Alliance Resource Partners in a report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $27.18. The company had a trading volume of 198,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 371,169. The company has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 0.62. Alliance Resource Partners has a fifty-two week low of $21.02 and a fifty-two week high of $30.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $26.16 and its 200-day moving average is $26.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 2.36.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The energy company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.38). Alliance Resource Partners had a return on equity of 19.09% and a net margin of 14.74%. On average, analysts anticipate that Alliance Resource Partners will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Alliance Resource Partners's payout ratio is 101.45%.

Insider Transactions at Alliance Resource Partners

In related news, SVP Timothy J. Whelan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.13, for a total transaction of $1,256,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 93,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,358,450.50. This trade represents a 34.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 16.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alliance Resource Partners

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 321.3% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 969 shares of the energy company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 739 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC boosted its stake in Alliance Resource Partners by 350.0% during the fourth quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the energy company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 223.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,406 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 2,353 shares during the period. 18.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Alliance Resource Partners

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.