B. Riley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price target upped by equities researchers at B. Riley from $38.00 to $43.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the coal producer’s stock. B. Riley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 25.61% from the company’s previous close.

BTU has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen raised Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Benchmark lifted their price objective on Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.00.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:BTU opened at $34.23 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $32.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.99. The company has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of -118.04 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $39.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly 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 0.83% and a negative return on equity of 0.25%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.25 EPS. Peabody Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peabody Energy

In other news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $2,819,803.56. This trade represents a 2.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,625 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 21.8% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 27,849 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,982 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $954,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Peabody Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Peabody Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley raised its price target to $43 and kept a “buy” rating, signaling continued analyst conviction and a sizeable upside from recent levels. B. Riley price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: The Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share (payable March 10, record Feb 23), supporting income investors and reflecting free‑cash‑flow confidence. Peabody Board Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Operational upside: management and analysis note the Centurion longwall ramp is ahead of schedule and stronger coking‑coal pricing could boost 2026 cash flow — a medium‑term positive for earnings and free cash generation. Seeking Alpha: Centurion ahead of schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: BTU reported $0.09 EPS vs. $0.08 consensus (a slight beat) and ~$1.02B revenue roughly in line with estimates — a modest positive but not a clear catalyst given other negatives. MarketBeat: Q4 results
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying weakness: EPS fell from $0.25 a year ago and revenue declined ~9% YoY; net margin and ROE remain negative, which may keep investor caution despite the beat. Peabody reports Q4 and FY2025 results

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.