Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,405,188 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 287,890 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.86% of Peabody Energy worth $301,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BTU. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 144.2% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $6,860,000 after buying an additional 7,586 shares during the period. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $1,889,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,766 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 5,940 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,210,000 after acquiring an additional 19,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $10.44 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $10.27 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark dropped their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of 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.

Peabody Energy Profile

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.