Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $17.72 and last traded at $17.96, with a volume of 367439 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price 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.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.16. The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Peabody Energy

In other Peabody Energy news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,759.20. This trade represents a 13.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Peabody Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 292.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,756 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.