The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 18.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is holding around 1% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 95%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 30%. The street (6 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $34.
Peabody Energy Corporation BTU
Clears both ethical standardsAn entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.
In plain words · Peabody Energy Corporation engages in the production of metallurgical and thermal coal.
read at $22.44
Peabody Energy Corporation holds its Distribution at $22.44.
- PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Distribution label
- INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
- POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
- SCScreen · passes the values gate
- edge confirmed
- edge broken
- edge forming
Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.
The investor read · the season, not the day
| Phase | Distribution · caution |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 21 days |
| Price | $22.44 |
| Valuation | N/A trailing · 5.96 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | PASS · score 70.0 |
| Beta | 0.37 |
The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth
Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going
The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street
Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
| Revenue growth | 3.90% |
| Profit margin | -3.07% |
| Debt to equity | 12.14 |
| Analyst consensus | Buy · 6 covering |
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English
This company clears both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. Here is how it did on each:
Used by most halal investing apps ✓ PASSES
The one Titan applies ✓ PASSES
What these two standards are, and how they differ →
- Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
- Debt load Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
- Interest-bearing cash Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. Fail
- Receivables Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. Fail
- Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass
Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.
The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean
Coal looks cheap until the cycle turns
Every time power demand spikes or a cold snap hits, coal producers book fat quarters and the low multiple starts to look tempting. Peabody trades at a forward P/E of 6.0x with a 28 percent gap to stated fair value, yet revenue is barely growing at 4 percent while profit margins and return on equity both sit at minus 3 percent. In a cyclical industry that is the classic warning sign, not a bargain. The ethical screen clears, but that alone does not turn a peak-earnings multiple into durable value.
We pass because the numbers already embed the trap. Low multiples in thermal coal often mark the point where earnings are about to roll over, not the start of a rerating. With no moat flagged and margins still negative, the present price reflects exactly the kind of temporary strength investors have been burned by before.
Volatility in seaborne prices, regulatory pressure on coal and sudden shifts in Asian demand remain the real drivers here. A single down cycle can erase years of supposed margin of safety. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 6.0x priced for continued growth |
| Revenue growth | 3.9% slow but positive growth |
| Profit margin | -3.1% currently unprofitable |
| Return on equity | -2.9% not currently earning a positive return on equity |
| Debt to equity | 0.12 minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet |
| Current ratio | 1.87 healthy short-term liquidity |
| Beta | 0.37 barely tracks the market's swings |
| Market cap | $2.7B |
| Employees | 5,400 |
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Related securities · others in BTU's space worth a look
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are
BTU trades on the NYSE. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The trader read · the latest dated commentary
The dated journal · newest first, never edited
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B. Technically it is holding around 1% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 95%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 30%. The street (6 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $34.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
What holding actually paid · price plus dividends
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $24.59 | +5.6% | $0.08 | $1,059 | +5.9% |
| 2 months | $28.20 | -7.9% | $0.08 | $924 | -7.6% |
| 3 months | $35.82 | -27.5% | $0.08 | $727 | -27.3% |
| 6 months | $29.12 | -10.8% | $0.15 | $897 | -10.3% |
| 1 year | $13.32 | +95.1% | $0.30 | $1,973 | +97.3% |
| 2 years | $22.96 | +13.2% | $0.60 | $1,158 | +15.8% |
| 3 years | $19.20 | +35.3% | $0.90 | $1,400 | +40.0% |
| 5 years | $8.81 | +194.9% | $0.98 | $3,060 | +206.0% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.