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

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price objective decreased by investment analysts at Benchmark from $30.00 to $26.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the coal producer’s stock. Benchmark’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 63.47% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on BTU. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of Peabody Energy stock traded down $0.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $15.91. The stock had a trading volume of 3,135,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,283,080. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $20.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.84. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $15.79 and a 52 week high of $29.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. Sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased 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 period. Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,714,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $77,473,000 after acquiring an additional 216,887 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 7.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $202,546,000 after acquiring an additional 540,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 200,073 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after acquiring an additional 125,244 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.