Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $37.31, but opened at $35.71. Peabody Energy shares last traded at $36.1950, with a volume of 1,021,895 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Peabody Energy from $34.00 to $34.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.38.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.04 and a 200-day moving average of $30.45. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -79.29 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The coal producer reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.01). Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 0.93%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 earnings per share. Peabody Energy’s revenue was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -66.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total transaction of $505,668.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,129,216. The trade was a 10.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total transaction of $73,693.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,819,803.56. The trade was a 2.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 763.4% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 258.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.