Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU Shares Acquired by Long Focus Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Long Focus Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 96.7%, acquiring an additional 879,800 shares, bringing their total to approximately 1.79 million shares.
• Peabody Energy reported a net loss of ($0.06) earnings per share, falling short of expectations, with revenue declining 14.6% year-over-year to $890.1 million.
• The company declared a $0.075 quarterly dividend, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.7%, with a payout ratio of 29.13%.

Long Focus Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 96.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,789,858 shares of the coal producer's stock after buying an additional 879,800 shares during the period. Peabody Energy accounts for approximately 0.8% of Long Focus Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Long Focus Capital Management LLC owned about 1.47% of Peabody Energy worth $24,253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 315.0% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 70.7% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 84.9% during the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 3,245 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the first quarter worth about $46,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $14.00 to $15.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.90.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of BTU stock traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $17.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,540,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,728,544. The business has a fifty day moving average of $15.94 and a 200-day moving average of $14.31. The stock has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57 and a beta of 0.64. Peabody Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $9.61 and a twelve month high of $29.94. 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 (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The coal producer reported ($0.06) 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 analyst estimates of $944.27 million. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 4.41%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 14.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. 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.