Peabody Energy Corporation $BTU Shares Sold by Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC

Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC cut its stake in Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE:BTU) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 542,341 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 18,900 shares during the period. Peabody Energy accounts for about 7.3% of Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Alta Fundamental Advisers LLC’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $16,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 258.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,607 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $61,000. 87.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $31.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.48 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.98. Peabody Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $12.58 and a 1-year high of $41.14.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The coal producer reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.40). The firm had revenue of $973.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $977.42 million. Peabody Energy had a negative net margin of 3.07% and a negative return on equity of 2.80%. The business’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Peabody Energy Corporation will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -30.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $30.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Peabody Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. B. Riley Financial downgraded Peabody Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Peabody Energy in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.13.

About Peabody Energy

Peabody Energy Corporation is one of the world’s largest private-sector coal companies, engaged primarily in the production and sale of metallurgical and thermal coal. The company’s operations span surface and underground mines, serving utilities, steel mills and other industrial customers that rely on coal as an essential component in power generation and steelmaking. Peabody’s product portfolio includes high-energy thermal coal for electricity generation and low-volatile metallurgical coal used in steel production, reflecting its diverse end-market reach.

Founded in 1883, Peabody Energy has grown from a regional mining concern into a global energy supplier.