Optimist Retirement Group LLC Invests $561,000 in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 26,489 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $561,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 348,187 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,375,000 after purchasing an additional 65,611 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Alliance Resource Partners in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,674,000. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC raised its position in Alliance Resource Partners by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 169,498 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,590,000 after buying an additional 79,155 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the 3rd quarter worth $383,000. Finally, Custom Index Systems LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,495,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.11% of the company’s stock.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Performance

Shares of ARLP opened at $23.74 on Friday. Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. has a 12-month low of $17.42 and a 12-month high of $25.53. The stock has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $22.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.09.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The energy company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.28. Alliance Resource Partners had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 23.36%. The firm had revenue of $651.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $625.32 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliance Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 7th. Alliance Resource Partners’s payout ratio is 61.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ARLP has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Alliance Resource Partners in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th.

Alliance Resource Partners Profile

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.