State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Makes New $2.22 Million Investment in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

Key Points

• State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D opened a new position in Peabody Energy, buying 74,709 shares worth about $2.22 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership in BTU remains high, with 87.44% of shares held by institutions; several other funds also added stakes, including a large new position from Massachusetts Financial Services.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed to cautious: Peabody has an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $34.13, while recent reports included multiple downgrades. The company also reported a quarterly EPS miss and announced a $0.075 quarterly dividend.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D purchased a new position in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 74,709 shares of the coal producer's stock, valued at approximately $2,219,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned approximately 0.06% of Peabody Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $90,603,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,425,459 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $117,363,000 after buying an additional 354,099 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $772,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $8,345,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $8,552,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. B. Riley Financial downgraded Peabody Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $30.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Peabody Energy from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $30.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Peabody Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $34.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peabody Energy

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

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of BTU opened at $23.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.85 and a beta of 0.35. Peabody Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $12.58 and a fifty-two week high of $41.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The business's 50-day moving average is $31.60 and its 200-day moving average is $31.41.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The coal producer reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.40). The business had revenue of $973.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $977.42 million. Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 3.07% and a negative return on equity of 2.80%. Peabody Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.27 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently -30.30%.

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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