Cetera Investment Advisers Takes $323,000 Position in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers has invested $323,000 in Peabody Energy Corporation by acquiring 23,819 shares during the first quarter.
• Peabody Energy's recent earnings report indicated a loss of $0.06 per share, missing expectations, with revenue down 14.6% year-over-year.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, representing a 1.8% yield and a payout ratio of 29.13%.

Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new position in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 23,819 shares of the coal producer's stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $337,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 808.0% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,986 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 3,547 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 13,234 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 32,549 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 9,316 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Peabody Energy from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.90.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

BTU stock traded down $0.0950 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $15.9050. 4,123,210 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,339,510. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 0.53. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $29.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $15.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.33.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The coal producer reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $890.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $944.27 million. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 3.43%.The company's revenue was down 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 EPS. 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is currently 29.13%.

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.