Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 133,500 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 34.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 256,950 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 133,500 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $5,381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 412,461 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $8,637,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 357.4% during the fourth quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 51,930 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 40,576 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 230,279 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $4,822,000 after buying an additional 20,646 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 280,787 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $5,880,000 after purchasing an additional 8,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,785,337 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $79,265,000 after purchasing an additional 215,614 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

BTU opened at $12.74 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $9.61 and a 52-week high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report on Monday, December 16th. B. Riley reduced their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Benchmark dropped 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 Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective 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.

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.