Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Peabody Energy Put Options (NYSE:BTU)

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 23,268 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 92% compared to the average volume of 12,106 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised 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 price target on Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, B. Riley upped their target price on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 5.5 %

BTU stock traded down $1.44 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $24.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,994,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,991,505. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 6.88 and a beta of 0.98. Peabody Energy has a 12 month low of $20.21 and a 12 month high of $29.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $25.94 and its 200-day moving average is $23.85.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,957,602 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $338,611,000 after purchasing an additional 2,473,286 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 1st quarter worth $1,019,000. Comerica Bank increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 580.4% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 54,153 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 46,194 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 91.4% in the 2nd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 70,674 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,563,000 after buying an additional 33,758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 2,651.2% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 89,002 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $2,159,000 after buying an additional 85,767 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.