UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Price

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price objective cut by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $32.00 to $30.50 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the coal producer’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 21.90% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on BTU. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. B. Riley Financial lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $42.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.13.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 0.1%

BTU stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $25.02. 5,623,470 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,403,649. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.85. Peabody Energy has a one year low of $12.58 and a one year high of $41.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of -55.60 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.52.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The coal producer reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by ($0.43). Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 0.93%. The firm had revenue of $973.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $977.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total value of $505,668.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,129,216. This represents a 10.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $90,603,000. Sourcerock Group LLC purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the second quarter worth about $28,092,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 19.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,208,031 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $123,572,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,531 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd. purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $38,125,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,135,096 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $449,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191,438 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Peabody Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Peabody Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Operational beats: thermal coal volumes exceeded expectations and seaborne thermal realized benefits from rising prices; the Centurion mine is progressing toward full longwall production — evidence of underlying demand and operational recovery. Peabody Reports Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Board reinstated a quarterly cash dividend of $0.075/share (ex-div May 19, payable June 8), supporting income-oriented holders and signaling confidence in free cash flow trajectory. Peabody Board Declares Dividend on Common Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue showed modest growth (Q1 revenue ~$973.3M, +3.9% YoY) and was roughly in line with expectations, indicating stable top-line demand despite the profit swing. Peabody Q1 earnings / press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts view the post-earnings sell-off as a buying opportunity and have upgraded the stock on valuation grounds, highlighting potential upside if margins recover. Seeking Alpha: Weak Q1 but value at this price (upgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and return to loss: Peabody reported a net loss (~$32.4M) and EPS of about $(0.26)/$(0.27) vs. consensus profit expectations (~$0.17), a material reversal from $0.27 EPS a year earlier — the primary driver of the sell-off. Peabody Reports Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability metrics remain weak (negative net margin and negative ROE), and Q1 EPS missed consensus by a wide margin, increasing near-term uncertainty on earnings recovery. MarketBeat: Q1 earnings summary
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: despite some in-line elements and operational positives, the sizable EPS surprise and reset from prior-year profitability prompted selling pressure. MSN: Reports Q1 in line but stock drops

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.