Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 4,955 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,913 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 4,955 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 4.4 %

Shares of BTU stock opened at $13.72 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.53 and a 200-day moving average of $20.86. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $12.15 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The company has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings 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.

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 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, equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio 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.