GeoSphere Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

GeoSphere Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 132.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,000 shares of the coal producer's stock after purchasing an additional 56,929 shares during the period. Peabody Energy makes up approximately 1.0% of GeoSphere Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. GeoSphere Capital Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Peabody Energy worth $2,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTU. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 63.3% in 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 during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 45.0% during the fourth quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 2,900 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis purchased a new position in Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on BTU. B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th.

Peabody Energy Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of BTU stock traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $14.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 218,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,393,094. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $13.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.02. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.49.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The coal producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $976.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.19%.

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.