Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Position Increased by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 6.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,829 shares of the coal producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,394 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,655,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its holdings in Peabody Energy by 91.4% in the second quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 70,674 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $1,563,000 after buying an additional 33,758 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 30.2% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 285,928 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $6,325,000 after purchasing an additional 66,254 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $1,446,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Peabody Energy by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 253,913 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $5,617,000 after purchasing an additional 5,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagefield Capital LP boosted its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sagefield Capital LP now owns 324,352 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $7,175,000 after acquiring an additional 9,051 shares in the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 3.9 %

Shares of NYSE BTU opened at $26.77 on Friday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $20.21 and a 1-year high of $27.24. The company has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 7.41 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.13.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The coal producer reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.90. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 15.35%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. B. Riley lifted their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday.

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.