Securities Lawyers Blog
Coal related companies around the world are being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy due to the falling prices of commodities. For instance, the world’s third largest publicly traded coal company, Peabody Energy Corporation (Peabody) (Stock Symbol: BTU), has seen its stock price plummet from over $1,000 per share in 2011 to under $14 today. In addition, the largest U.S. coal producer, Alpha Natural Resources (Stock Symbol: ANRZ), filed Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond. Commenters are speculating that unless there are restructurings for Arch Coal (Stock Symbol: ACI) and Peabody they could be the next two coal producers to file for bankruptcy protection.
Other bankruptcy filings this year include Walter Energy (Stock Symbol: WLTGQ), JW Resources, Patriot Coal’s second bankruptcy filing, Xinergy, and James River Coal Co. Berau Capital Resources submitted a Chapter 15 petition on July 10, and Glencore (Stock Symbol: GLEN) has undergone major restructuring amidst the collapse of its stock price.
According to Bloomberg, more than three dozen coal operations have filed bankruptcy in just over three years. Due to a combination of factors the combined market value of U.S. coal company shares shrank to $12 billion in late July 2015 from $78 billion in 2011.