First Financial Bank Trust Division Raises Stock Position in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP)

First Financial Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP) by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,081 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Alliance Resource Partners were worth $320,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ARLP. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,380,000. Custom Index Systems LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alliance Resource Partners in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,495,000. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 87.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Alliance Resource Partners by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,949,324 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $41,287,000 after buying an additional 21,478 shares during the period. Finally, Magnolia Group LLC increased its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Magnolia Group LLC now owns 3,214,171 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $68,076,000 after buying an additional 180,720 shares in the last quarter. 18.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on ARLP shares. StockNews.com downgraded Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Alliance Resource Partners from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th.

Alliance Resource Partners Price Performance

NASDAQ:ARLP traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $23.02. 809,194 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 435,015. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $24.54 and its 200-day moving average is $22.16. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 1.15. Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. has a 1-year low of $18.32 and a 1-year high of $26.21.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The energy company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.16). Alliance Resource Partners had a net margin of 21.04% and a return on equity of 27.75%. The firm had revenue of $593.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $624.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alliance Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.16%. Alliance Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.27%.

Alliance Resource Partners Company 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.