State of Alaska Department of Revenue Has $3.39 Million Position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor 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’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $3,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Peabody Energy by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,072 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 2,544 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 84,914 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,778,000 after buying an additional 2,909 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 94.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,361 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 2,605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,556 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 885 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark lowered their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BTU opened at $15.91 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $15.79 and a 1-year high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

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.