Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $17.72 and last traded at $17.96, with a volume of 367439 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $18.15.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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 Monday, January 6th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 8.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $20.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%. Equities research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 7.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,897 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $183,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,556 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares in 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.