Mountain Lake Investment Management LLC Buys Shares of 23,000 Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Mountain Lake Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 23,000 shares of the coal producer's stock, valued at approximately $482,000. Peabody Energy accounts for about 0.6% of Mountain Lake Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empire Life Investments Inc. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 581,635 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $12,179,000 after purchasing an additional 35,382 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 327,601 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $6,860,000 after purchasing an additional 7,586 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 94.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,361 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 2,605 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 19,800 shares during the period. Finally, Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,889,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 3.6 %

Peabody Energy stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $15.53. The stock had a trading volume of 4,219,714 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,472,609. 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 fifty-two week low of $14.87 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $18.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 5.75 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BTU shares. Benchmark decreased their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

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.