Nuveen LLC Buys New Holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy Corporation, purchasing 540,998 shares valued at approximately $7.33 million, representing about 0.45% of the company.
• Peabody Energy reported a net margin of 3.43% and a revenue of $890.10 million, which is down 14.6% year-over-year, missing analyst estimates.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075, reflecting an annual yield of 1.8%, with a payout ratio of 29.13%.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 540,998 shares of the coal producer's stock, valued at approximately $7,331,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.45% of Peabody Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avos Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Avos Capital Management LLC now owns 13,551 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 1,967 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $478,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 943,955 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $12,791,000 after buying an additional 155,529 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 64.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 7,356 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 2,882 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 117.6% during the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,406,307 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $19,055,000 after buying an additional 760,155 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Peabody Energy Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE:BTU traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,649,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,345,004. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $15.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.32. Peabody Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $9.61 and a fifty-two week 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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

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