MMCAP International Inc. SPC Sells 48,447 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

MMCAP International Inc. SPC lessened its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 47.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,658 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 48,447 shares during the quarter. MMCAP International Inc. SPC’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,897 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,556 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 43.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 69.7% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,802 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on BTU shares. Benchmark decreased their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:BTU opened at $14.42 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.29. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $14.30 and a 1 year high of $29.94. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 0.95.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) 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, analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. 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.