Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Bought by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 120.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,289 shares of the coal producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,341 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $90,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,889,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew 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 acquiring an additional 7,586 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 15.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 19,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 79.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $4,693,000 after purchasing an additional 77,525 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BTU opened at $13.33 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.34. The stock has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $12.15 and a 12 month high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target 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. 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 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.

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.