Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 6,696,767 Shares of Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. significantly reduced its stake in Peabody Energy Corporation by 86.3% during the first quarter, leaving it with approximately 0.87% ownership valued at $14.4 million after selling over 6.6 million shares.
• Peabody Energy's stock has seen a 3.4% decline, trading at $16.70, while the company reported earnings of $0.27 per share, exceeding analyst expectations but showing a 4.7% year-over-year revenue drop.
• The firm recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, representing a 1.80% yield, highlighting an 11.19% dividend payout ratio.

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 86.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,062,489 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 6,696,767 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.87% of Peabody Energy worth $14,397,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Peabody Energy by 315.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,125 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,613 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 70.7% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,092 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BTU traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $15.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,406,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,714,952. The business's fifty day moving average is $14.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The company has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $9.61 and a twelve month high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.05% and a net margin of 8.73%. The business had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. Peabody Energy's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BTU shares. B. Riley lowered their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Peabody Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 price target for the company. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price objective on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Peabody Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.60.

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.