CIBC Asset Management Inc Increases Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 47.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,135 shares of the coal producer’s stock after buying an additional 3,927 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $254,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 62.7% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 17,757 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 6,844 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,756 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 14.5% in the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 60,900 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,616,000 after purchasing an additional 7,700 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 7.5% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 140,824 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $3,736,000 after buying an additional 9,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark cut their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:BTU opened at $14.93 on Tuesday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $14.57 and a 52-week high of $29.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $18.69 and its 200 day moving average is $22.40. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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.