Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $41.14 and last traded at $37.4270, with a volume of 9889330 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. B. Riley Financial upped their target price on Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Peabody Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.38.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 0.6%

The company has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -82.72 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.04 and its 200 day moving average is $30.35.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The coal producer reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.01). Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 0.93%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. The firm’s revenue was down 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -66.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total value of $73,693.26. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,819,803.56. This trade represents a 2.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total transaction of $505,668.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,129,216. The trade was a 10.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $90,603,000. Sourcerock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the second quarter worth about $28,092,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 19.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,208,031 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $123,572,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,531 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $38,125,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,135,096 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $449,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191,438 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.