State of Alaska Department of Revenue Purchases 21,206 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 162,030 shares of the coal producer's stock after buying an additional 21,206 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue owned 0.13% of Peabody Energy worth $3,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 79.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $4,693,000 after purchasing an additional 77,525 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,714,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $77,473,000 after purchasing an additional 216,887 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Peabody Energy by 7.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $202,546,000 after acquiring an additional 540,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Peabody Energy by 167.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 200,073 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $5,310,000 after acquiring an additional 125,244 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

BTU traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $17.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,097,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,401,665. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $15.79 and a 1 year high of $29.94. The stock's 50-day moving average is $19.62 and its 200-day moving average is $22.69.

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 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, research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of 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 cut their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research 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 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.