Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 7,072,835 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 131% from the previous session's volume of 3,064,935 shares.The stock last traded at $11.43 and had previously closed at $11.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. B. Riley decreased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their target price on 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 raised shares of Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 5.5 %

The company has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $13.94 and a 200 day moving average of $19.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $15,352,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 113.5% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,350,855 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $28,287,000 after buying an additional 718,274 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,565,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 1,543,915 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $32,330,000 after buying an additional 360,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 105.5% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 646,152 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $13,530,000 after purchasing an additional 331,759 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.