Merewether Investment Management LP Acquires New Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Merewether Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 173,566 shares of the coal producer's stock, valued at approximately $3,634,000. Merewether Investment Management LP owned approximately 0.14% of Peabody Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings 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 acquired a new stake in 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 worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew 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 acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis acquired a new position in Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 3.0%

BTU stock traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $14.75. 4,579,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,423,917. Peabody Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $9.61 and a twelve month high of $29.94. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 5.46 and a beta of 0.49.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.20. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. 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 previous year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Peabody Energy Company 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.