Vontobel Holding Ltd. Buys 19,800 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU - Free Report) by 52.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,800 shares of the coal producer's stock after buying an additional 19,800 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BTU. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Peabody Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Peabody Energy by 139.9% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,756 shares of the coal producer's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 69.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,802 shares of the coal producer's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BTU shares. Benchmark cut their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE BTU traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $14.62. 3,269,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,466,608. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.95. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $14.61 and a 1 year high of $29.94. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $18.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.44.

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 return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share 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 $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy's payout ratio is 11.11%.

About Peabody Energy

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.