Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 88,466 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,346,729 shares of the coal producer's stock after purchasing an additional 88,466 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 6.05% of Peabody Energy worth $153,841,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BTU. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 13,234 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,556 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:BTU traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $12.35. 3,534,163 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,263,509. Peabody Energy Co. has a one year low of $9.61 and a one year high of $29.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $12.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.52.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders 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 2.43%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BTU shares. B. Riley cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark decreased their target price 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.

About Peabody Energy

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.