Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Benchmark

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities researchers at Benchmark in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $28.00 target price on the coal producer’s stock. Benchmark’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 26.98% from the company’s current price.

Separately, B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.25.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $22.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a PE ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.01. Peabody Energy has a 52-week low of $17.71 and a 52-week high of $27.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $24.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.35.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 11.62%. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $980.03 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total transaction of $167,714.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 75,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,854,150.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Peabody Energy news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total transaction of $167,714.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,854,150.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 31,980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.48, for a total transaction of $814,850.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 78,307 shares in the company, valued at $1,995,262.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,806 shares of company stock valued at $1,339,565. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 84.5% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 17,075.0% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 48,475.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,943 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

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.