RFG Advisory LLC Takes $772,000 Position in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

RFG Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 29,104 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $772,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 1,714.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,697 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 5,383 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the third quarter valued at $292,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the third quarter valued at about $8,552,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Peabody Energy by 258.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 4.6%

Shares of BTU stock opened at $35.08 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.14. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $39.95. The stock has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -77.96 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The coal producer reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 0.93% and a negative net margin of 1.37%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is -66.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Scott T. Jarboe sold 2,151 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.26, for a total value of $73,693.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,819,803.56. This trade represents a 2.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total transaction of $505,668.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,129,216. The trade was a 10.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Zacks Research downgraded Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. B. Riley Financial increased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.20.

Peabody Energy 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.