Quantbot Technologies LP Lowers Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Quantbot Technologies LP reduced its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 91.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,617 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 74,016 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $139,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BTU. State Street Corp increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $202,546,000 after purchasing an additional 540,219 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $77,473,000 after acquiring an additional 216,887 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,422,400 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $29,785,000 after acquiring an additional 125,372 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,400,044 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $29,317,000 after acquiring an additional 11,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 113.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,350,855 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $28,287,000 after purchasing an additional 718,274 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 4.4 %

Peabody Energy stock opened at $13.72 on Monday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $12.15 and a 52-week high of $29.94. The company has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.86.

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

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BTU shares. BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th.

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.