Bank of Montreal Can Boosts Stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 44.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 89,928 shares of the coal producer's stock after purchasing an additional 27,820 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.07% of Peabody Energy worth $1,883,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 144.2% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Peabody Energy by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of 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, B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 5.4 %

Peabody Energy stock traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $12.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,847,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,209,502. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.54. The company has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $9.61 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. 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 (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. Peabody Energy's dividend 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.