Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Trading Down 5.7% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) dropped 5.7% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $13.07 and last traded at $13.03. Approximately 810,184 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 2,789,342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 3.3 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. Sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,889,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,766 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 5,940 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $6,860,000 after purchasing an additional 7,586 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 79.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $4,693,000 after purchasing an additional 77,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 19,800 shares during 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.