Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Holdings Cut by Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lowered its holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,549 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 151,111 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $3,164,000 after acquiring an additional 3,329 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 72,053 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,509,000 after buying an additional 10,169 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,422,400 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $29,785,000 after buying an additional 125,372 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $856,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTU opened at $13.80 on Monday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $13.40 and a 12 month high of $29.94. The stock has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $17.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.12. 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 (NYSE:BTU) last posted 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 return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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 cut their price target on 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 cut their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th.

Peabody Energy Company 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.