Northern Trust Corp Acquires 33,742 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,620,897 shares of the coal producer's stock after buying an additional 33,742 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.33% of Peabody Energy worth $33,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $3,474,000. Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $602,000. Long Focus Capital Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC now owns 910,058 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $19,057,000 after purchasing an additional 195,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 93,020 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 12,035 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTU traded down $0.72 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.56. The stock had a trading volume of 3,684,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,398,195. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 0.49. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $29.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.04.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $976.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. Peabody Energy's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. B. Riley lowered their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research 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.