Alliance Resource Partners’ (ARLP) Buy Rating Reiterated at Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Benchmark currently has a $29.00 target price on the energy company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $27.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on ARLP. Singular Research downgraded shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

Alliance Resource Partners Price Performance

ARLP stock opened at $27.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.16. Alliance Resource Partners has a 12 month low of $18.32 and a 12 month high of $30.56. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The energy company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.38). Alliance Resource Partners had a net margin of 18.52% and a return on equity of 23.74%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Alliance Resource Partners will post 3.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.01%. Alliance Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.55%.

Insider Transactions at Alliance Resource Partners

In other news, SVP Timothy J. Whelan sold 10,000 shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total transaction of $280,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 157,946 shares in the company, valued at $4,422,488. The trade was a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alliance Resource Partners

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARLP. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Alliance Resource Partners by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,446 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 7,321 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 2,400.0% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 67,675 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 64,968 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its stake in Alliance Resource Partners by 89.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 72,099 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,764,000 after purchasing an additional 34,106 shares in the last quarter. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,144,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,500,000. 18.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliance Resource Partners Company Profile

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.