Geode Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Geode Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,886,417 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 32,119 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.38% of Peabody Energy worth $60,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $6,860,000 after acquiring an additional 7,586 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,889,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,766 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 5,940 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 19,800 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, B. Riley reduced their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

BTU traded up $0.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,847,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,199,316. The firm has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a PE ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy Co. has a one year low of $9.61 and a one year high of $29.94. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $13.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

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.