Aegis Financial Corp Cuts Position in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Aegis Financial Corp lowered its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 51.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 237,056 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 248,336 shares during the period. Peabody Energy accounts for 4.3% of Aegis Financial Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Aegis Financial Corp owned about 0.20% of Peabody Energy worth $4,964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of BTU. FMR LLC raised its stake in Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,897 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BTU. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of BTU opened at $14.06 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.73 and its 200-day moving average is $20.95. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $12.15 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted 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 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.11%.

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.