Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Given New $34.00 Price Target at B. Riley

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) had its price target increased by stock analysts at B. Riley from $32.00 to $34.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the coal producer’s stock. B. Riley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 51.72% from the stock’s previous close.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BTU opened at $22.41 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 6.24 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy has a 52 week low of $20.21 and a 52 week high of $27.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $22.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 2.49.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The coal producer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.90. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 15.35%. Analysts predict that Peabody Energy will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,957,602 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $338,611,000 after purchasing an additional 2,473,286 shares during the last quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 483.0% during the 1st quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP now owns 2,024,769 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $49,121,000 after buying an additional 1,677,448 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 4,386.6% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 646,648 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $15,688,000 after buying an additional 632,235 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 7,348,251 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $178,118,000 after buying an additional 618,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,165,258 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $70,016,000 after acquiring an additional 531,440 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is 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.