Hosking Partners LLP Sells 269,174 Shares of Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

Hosking Partners LLP lessened its stake in shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) by 70.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 114,877 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 269,174 shares during the period. Hosking Partners LLP’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $3,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nwam LLC increased its position in Peabody Energy by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 105,709 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $3,140,000 after buying an additional 29,796 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. RFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 76.4% during the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 51,343 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,525,000 after purchasing an additional 22,239 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 37,200 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 12,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,018,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Peabody Energy

In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of BTU opened at $23.61 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Peabody Energy Corporation has a one year low of $12.58 and a one year high of $41.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.85 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $31.60 and a 200 day moving average of $31.41.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The coal producer reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.40). The business had revenue of $973.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $977.42 million. Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 3.07% and a negative return on equity of 2.80%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is -30.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on BTU shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. B. Riley Financial lowered Peabody Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $30.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.13.

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.