Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Price Down 3% - Here's What Happened

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $13.19 and last traded at $13.12. Approximately 170,712 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 2,927,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Peabody Energy Stock Down 2.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.52. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $14.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.52.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Remove Ads

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

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 was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $202,546,000 after purchasing an additional 540,219 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,346,729 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $153,841,000 after purchasing an additional 88,466 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,785,337 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $79,265,000 after buying an additional 215,614 shares during the period. Progeny 3 Inc. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 3,620,014 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $75,803,000 after purchasing an additional 40,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $77,473,000 after buying an additional 216,887 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.