Chiron Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Chiron Investment Management LLC increased its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 368.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,222 shares of the coal producer's stock after acquiring an additional 32,422 shares during the period. Chiron Investment Management LLC's holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,333 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 808.0% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,986 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 3,547 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 120.2% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 5.4 %

NYSE BTU traded up $0.66 on Friday, hitting $12.89. 3,847,850 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,199,316. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $9.61 and a 52-week high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Benchmark dropped 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 price objective on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

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.