Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $27.38 and last traded at $26.99, with a volume of 413814 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BTU has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, B. Riley raised their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a PE ratio of 6.97 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is currently 7.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BTU. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 11,390.0% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,149 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Natixis lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 8,355.0% during the first quarter. Natixis now owns 1,691 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,671 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the third quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.