Benchmark Cuts Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Price Target to $26.00

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its target price lowered by Benchmark from $30.00 to $26.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the coal producer’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

BTU stock opened at $15.91 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $20.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $15.79 and a 52 week high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%. On average, analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Peabody Energy by 265,937.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,023,686 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $212,949,000 after purchasing an additional 8,020,670 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 7.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $202,546,000 after buying an additional 540,219 shares during the period. Progeny 3 Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 3,580,014 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $95,014,000 after buying an additional 56,280 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the third 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 during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,422,400 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $29,785,000 after acquiring an additional 125,372 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.