Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25), Zacks reports. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 7.8 %

Peabody Energy stock traded down $1.41 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $16.57. The stock had a trading volume of 5,304,260 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,155,732. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy has a 52-week low of $16.43 and a 52-week high of $29.94. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.32 and a 200 day moving average of $22.89.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of 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.

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.