Quantbot Technologies LP Raises Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 469.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,200 shares of the coal producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 76,843 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP owned approximately 0.07% of Peabody Energy worth $2,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 48,475.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,943 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 3,690 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $203,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $213,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of BTU stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $23.00. 1,695,896 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,201,870. The company has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a current ratio of 2.36. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $20.66 and a fifty-two week high of $27.24.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 11.62% and a return on equity of 14.98%. The company had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.03 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 15th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BTU has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Peabody Energy in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.25.

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.