Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 12,850,000 shares, a decline of 5.9% from the November 15th total of 13,650,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,830,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

BTU stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.45. 2,328,632 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,957,779. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $25.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.82. 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 capitalization of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy has a 52-week low of $20.21 and a 52-week high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. Peabody Energy's quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 7.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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. Benchmark upped their price objective 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, B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peabody Energy

In other Peabody Energy news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,759.20. This represents a 13.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 265,937.3% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,023,686 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $212,949,000 after acquiring an additional 8,020,670 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $202,546,000 after acquiring an additional 540,219 shares during the period. Progeny 3 Inc. increased its position in Peabody Energy by 1.6% in the third quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 3,580,014 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $95,014,000 after buying an additional 56,280 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,165,258 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $70,016,000 after acquiring an additional 531,440 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 216,887 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.