Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) Rating Reiterated by Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Benchmark currently has a $25.00 price objective on the energy company’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Performance

Shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock opened at $23.25 on Tuesday. Alliance Resource Partners has a 52 week low of $17.05 and a 52 week high of $24.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.94. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 1.11.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The energy company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.28. Alliance Resource Partners had a return on equity of 32.06% and a net margin of 23.36%. The business had revenue of $651.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $625.32 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Alliance Resource Partners will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. Alliance Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alliance Resource Partners

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARLP. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 39,564 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $891,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 40.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 39,235 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 11,318 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 91.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 282,576 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $6,366,000 after buying an additional 135,226 shares during the period. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Alliance Resource Partners in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,035,000. Finally, ING Groep NV grew its position in Alliance Resource Partners by 8.0% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 420,000 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $9,463,000 after acquiring an additional 31,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.11% of the company’s stock.

About Alliance Resource Partners

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.