Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Purchased by Old West Investment Management LLC

Old West Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 211.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,243 shares of the coal producer’s stock after buying an additional 38,853 shares during the period. Old West Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 2,333 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in Peabody Energy by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark 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 Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of BTU stock opened at $10.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $14.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $10.27 and a 1-year high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend 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%.

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.