Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $14.58 and last traded at $14.61, with a volume of 200134 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $18.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. On average, analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 265,937.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,023,686 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $212,949,000 after purchasing an additional 8,020,670 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 540,219 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,346,729 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $153,841,000 after buying an additional 88,466 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,785,337 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $79,265,000 after buying an additional 215,614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Progeny 3 Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 3,620,014 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $75,803,000 after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is 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.