Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $19.81 and last traded at $20.05, with a volume of 1194848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark upped their price target on Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their price objective on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The company has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's 50-day moving average is $24.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.70.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%. Peabody Energy's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 7.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peabody Energy

In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,939,759.20. This trade represents a 13.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 79.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $4,693,000 after buying an additional 77,525 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 16.5% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 37,826 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $1,037,000 after acquiring an additional 5,361 shares during the period. Old West Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the third quarter worth about $488,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $77,473,000 after purchasing an additional 216,887 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 323.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 248,891 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $6,605,000 after purchasing an additional 190,120 shares in the last quarter. 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.