HighTower Advisors LLC Raises Position in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) by 403.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 43,952 shares of the coal producer’s stock after buying an additional 35,225 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Phoenix Financial Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,125,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 27,849 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Empire Life Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 454,748 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $13,506,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239 shares during the period. Nwam LLC grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 105,709 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $3,140,000 after acquiring an additional 29,796 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

BTU opened at $30.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.39 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s 50 day moving average is $28.26 and its 200 day moving average is $30.97. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $12.58 and a 12-month high of $41.14.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The coal producer reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.40). The business had revenue of $973.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $977.42 million. Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 2.80% and a negative net margin of 3.07%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -30.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Peabody Energy in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. B. Riley Financial lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $30.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.13.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.