Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Price Down 3.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) traded down 3.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $20.82 and last traded at $20.85. 1,941,505 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 2,949,286 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. B. Riley raised their target price on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $25.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.16. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peabody Energy

In other news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total transaction of $295,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,759.20. The trade was a 13.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 265,937.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,023,686 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $212,949,000 after acquiring an additional 8,020,670 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $202,546,000 after purchasing an additional 540,219 shares in the last quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 56,280 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 20.2% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 8.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $77,473,000 after purchasing an additional 216,887 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is 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.