Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Acquires 2,333 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 144.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,951 shares of the coal producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,333 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $83,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 43.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,286 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Peabody Energy stock opened at $13.33 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.34. The company has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.94. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $12.15 and a 12-month high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. Research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

About Peabody Energy

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.