Hosking Partners LLP Has $17.93 Million Stock Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Hosking Partners LLP cut its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 856,139 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 238,231 shares during the quarter. Hosking Partners LLP owned 0.70% of Peabody Energy worth $17,928,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BTU. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 139.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,756 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 69.7% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,802 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 43.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Peabody Energy stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,761,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,785,615. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $17.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.05. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $12.54 and a 1-year high of $29.94. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

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

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BTU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark cut their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th.

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.