Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $1.25 Million Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 44.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,576 shares of the coal producer's stock after selling 48,612 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 2,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. B. Riley lowered their price target on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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 Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 4.7 %

NYSE BTU traded up $0.58 on Thursday, reaching $12.70. The company had a trading volume of 3,006,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,239,626. The company's fifty day moving average is $13.23 and its 200-day moving average is $19.25. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $9.61 and a 1-year high of $29.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.52. 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 (NYSE:BTU - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 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.