Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Acquired by Readystate Asset Management LP

Readystate Asset Management LP raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 75.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,919 shares of the coal producer's stock after buying an additional 35,159 shares during the quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP owned about 0.07% of Peabody Energy worth $2,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 580.4% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 54,153 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $1,314,000 after buying an additional 46,194 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 91.4% during the 2nd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 70,674 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 33,758 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $893,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,446,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 42.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 133,068 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $2,943,000 after buying an additional 39,868 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE BTU traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $22.93. 794,943 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,990,763. The company has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy Co. has a one year low of $20.21 and a one year high of $29.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $25.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.90.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.16. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is currently 7.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peabody Energy

In related news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total transaction of $295,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,759.20. This trade represents a 13.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTU has been the topic of several recent research reports. Benchmark increased their price target on Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. B. Riley increased their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th.

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.