Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 7,072,835 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 131% from the previous session’s volume of 3,064,935 shares.The stock last traded at $11.43 and had previously closed at $11.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark dropped their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 13.4 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.05 and a 200-day moving average of $20.05. The company has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a PE ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $15,352,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 113.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,350,855 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $28,287,000 after acquiring an additional 718,274 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 7.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $8,565,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 1,543,915 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $32,330,000 after acquiring an additional 360,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

About Peabody Energy

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.