Sprott Inc. Invests $254,000 in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Sprott Inc. purchased a new stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 12,115 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $254,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,889,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 79.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $4,693,000 after acquiring an additional 77,525 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,714,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Peabody Energy by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,800 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 19,800 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Peabody Energy by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $77,473,000 after purchasing an additional 216,887 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $14.17 on Thursday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $14.10 and a 12 month high of $29.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued 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 net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.