Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) by 225.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 245,878 shares of the coal producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 170,328 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp owned approximately 0.20% of Peabody Energy worth $3,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 57.7% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 48.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 65.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,886 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of BTU opened at $30.85 on Friday. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $9.61 and a 1-year high of $35.99. The company has a market capitalization of $3.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -106.38 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.78.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The coal producer reported ($0.58) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.39). Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 0.25% and a negative net margin of 0.83%.The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $990.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. Peabody Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -103.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on BTU shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $18.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.75.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

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.