Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Position Boosted by Vident Advisory LLC

Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 187.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,081 shares of the coal producer's stock after acquiring an additional 22,884 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 45.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 2.8%

NYSE:BTU traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,632,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,447,137. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.16. The company has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.49. Peabody Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $9.61 and a twelve month high of $29.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. The business had revenue of $937.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $976.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. B. Riley decreased their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th.

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.