LSV Asset Management Sells 3,000 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

LSV Asset Management reduced its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 363,600 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $7,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its position in Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 2,333 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

BTU opened at $12.74 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a PE ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.92. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $9.61 and a 1 year high of $29.94.

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

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. B. Riley dropped their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark decreased 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.

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.