Short Interest in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Grows By 28.2%

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 14,800,000 shares, an increase of 28.2% from the February 13th total of 11,540,000 shares. Approximately 12.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. Benchmark lowered their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on 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 1.3 %

Shares of Peabody Energy stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.01. 2,112,735 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,784,589. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.94. 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 52-week low of $12.15 and a 52-week high of $29.94. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $16.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.17.

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Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 111 Capital purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $289,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,162,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,742,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 162,948 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $3,412,000 after purchasing an additional 17,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 187.6% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 35,081 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 22,884 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.