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

Key Points

• Hosking Partners LLP cut its Peabody Energy stake by 70.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 269,174 shares and leaving it with 114,877 shares worth about $3.41 million.
• Peabody Energy reported a quarterly loss of $0.26 per share, missing analyst estimates, while revenue came in at $973.3 million and rose 3.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, and analysts currently have a mixed view on BTU with an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.13.

Hosking Partners LLP lessened its stake in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 70.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 114,877 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 269,174 shares during the period. Hosking Partners LLP owned about 0.09% of Peabody Energy worth $3,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 763.4% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 258.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $61,000. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:BTU opened at $23.61 on Monday. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $12.58 and a 52-week 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $31.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.87.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) 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 firm had revenue of $973.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $977.42 million. Peabody Energy had a negative return on equity of 2.80% and a negative net margin of 3.07%.The firm's revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on BTU. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $30.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $34.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 13,892 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.40, for a total value of $505,668.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 113,440 shares in the company, valued at $4,129,216. This trade represents a 10.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Peabody Energy

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.

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