Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Sold by Private Capital Management LLC

Private Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 78.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,900 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 131,000 shares during the quarter. Private Capital Management LLC's holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $953,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Peabody Energy Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BTU traded down $0.23 during 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. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $12.54 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $17.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. As a group, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.