Long Focus Capital Management LLC Has $19.06 Million Position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Long Focus Capital Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 27.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 910,058 shares of the coal producer's stock after acquiring an additional 195,000 shares during the period. Long Focus Capital Management LLC owned about 0.75% of Peabody Energy worth $19,057,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Natixis acquired a new position in Peabody Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised 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 valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,333 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Peabody Energy stock opened at $12.39 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $13.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.30. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.52. 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 12-month low of $9.61 and a 12-month high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Peabody Energy

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.

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