Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) is Aegis Financial Corp’s 9th Largest Position

Aegis Financial Corp lessened its holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 51.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 237,056 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 248,336 shares during the period. Peabody Energy comprises approximately 4.3% of Aegis Financial Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Aegis Financial Corp’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $4,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Peabody Energy by 7.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $202,546,000 after purchasing an additional 540,219 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,785,337 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $79,265,000 after acquiring an additional 215,614 shares in the last quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 1.6% in the third quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 3,580,014 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $95,014,000 after acquiring an additional 56,280 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 8.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $77,473,000 after acquiring an additional 216,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,422,400 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $29,785,000 after purchasing an additional 125,372 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a 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 note on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTU opened at $14.06 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.95. Peabody Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $12.15 and a fifty-two week high of $29.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced 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 predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is presently 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.