Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Shares Sold by Empire Life Investments Inc.

Empire Life Investments Inc. lessened its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 546,253 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 128,650 shares during the quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. owned 0.43% of Peabody Energy worth $14,498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 11,390.0% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,149 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,139 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Natixis lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 8,355.0% in the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 1,691 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,671 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Peabody Energy in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BTU shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, B. Riley increased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE BTU opened at $26.48 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $20.21 and a 52 week high of $27.29. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.33. The firm has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 6.86 and a beta of 0.96.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 15.35%. Peabody Energy’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.77%.

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.