Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $14.58 and last traded at $14.61, with a volume of 200134 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $18.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,889,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 79.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $4,693,000 after acquiring an additional 77,525 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at about $1,714,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $1,210,000 after acquiring an additional 19,800 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $77,473,000 after purchasing an additional 216,887 shares during the period. 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.