Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) PT Raised to $34.00 at B. Riley

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its target price upped by B. Riley from $32.00 to $34.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the coal producer’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Peabody Energy stock opened at $22.81 on Tuesday. Peabody Energy has a 1 year low of $20.21 and a 1 year high of $27.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $22.41 and its 200 day moving average is $23.11. The stock has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The coal producer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.90. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 15.35%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy will post 3.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,957,602 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $338,611,000 after buying an additional 2,473,286 shares during the period. Thomist Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 483.0% in the first quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP now owns 2,024,769 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $49,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,677,448 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 4,386.6% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 646,648 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $15,688,000 after purchasing an additional 632,235 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 7,348,251 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $178,118,000 after purchasing an additional 618,395 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $70,016,000 after purchasing an additional 531,440 shares during the last quarter. 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.