Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Price Target Cut to $26.00 by Analysts at Benchmark

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price target decreased by Benchmark from $30.00 to $26.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Benchmark currently has a buy rating on the coal producer’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

BTU opened at $15.91 on Friday. Peabody Energy has a 1 year low of $15.79 and a 1 year high of $29.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $20.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.32. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 4.21 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%. Sell-side analysts expect that Peabody Energy will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is currently 7.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 292.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 1,533 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.