Convergence Investment Partners LLC Invests $856,000 in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 40,899 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $856,000.

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

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $14.98 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $19.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $14.87 and a 1-year high of $29.94.

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

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BTU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

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.