Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Position in Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in Peabody Energy Corporation by 0.8%, now holding 14,284,853 shares worth approximately $193.56 million.
• Peabody Energy's earnings report revealed a loss of $0.06 per share, missing estimates by $0.02 and reflecting a 14.6% decline in quarterly revenue year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.8% and a payout ratio of 29.13%.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,284,853 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 120,335 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.75% of Peabody Energy worth $193,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 13,234 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. BOKF NA raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. BOKF NA now owns 22,236 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 70.7% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 33.5% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,726 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:BTU opened at $16.5070 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $15.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.33. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.03 and a beta of 0.53. 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 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). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 3.43% and a return on equity of 4.41%. The company had revenue of $890.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $944.27 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 14.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Benchmark reduced their target price on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Peabody Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Peabody Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.

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