Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,346,729 shares of the coal producer's stock after purchasing an additional 88,466 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 6.05% of Peabody Energy worth $153,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BTU. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $6,860,000 after acquiring an additional 7,586 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth $1,889,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 43,766 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 5,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 52.1% in the fourth 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 during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of BTU remained flat at $12.58 during mid-day trading on Monday. The stock had a trading volume of 2,881,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,259,163. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $9.61 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $13.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.96.

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

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

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.