Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC Has $8.49 Million Stock Position in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU)

Key Points

• Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC reduced its holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) by 18.2%, now owning 626,241 shares valued at approximately $8.49 million.
• Peabody Energy's recent earnings report showed a loss of ($0.06) EPS, missing estimates, with a significant year-over-year revenue decline of 14.6%.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.075, reflecting an annual yield of 1.7%, demonstrating a cautious approach towards shareholder returns amid fluctuating financial performance.

Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC lowered its position in shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 18.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 626,241 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 139,759 shares during the quarter. Peabody Energy accounts for approximately 5.4% of Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC owned approximately 0.52% of Peabody Energy worth $8,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the first quarter valued at about $7,331,000. Avos Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 17.0% during the first quarter. Avos Capital Management LLC now owns 13,551 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $184,000 after buying an additional 1,967 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Peabody Energy during the first quarter valued at about $478,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 19.7% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 943,955 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $12,791,000 after buying an additional 155,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 64.4% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,356 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 2,882 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BTU. Wall Street Zen cut Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group began coverage on Peabody Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Finally, Benchmark reduced their target price on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.60.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Peabody Energy stock opened at $17.23 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.37. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $9.61 and a 1 year high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The coal producer reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $890.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $944.27 million. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 3.43%. The firm's revenue was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.13%.

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.

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