Teacher Retirement System of Texas Invests $1.38 Million in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 65,860 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,379,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at about $893,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,388,681 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $36,856,000 after buying an additional 171,272 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 167.4% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 200,073 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after acquiring an additional 125,244 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,897 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $183,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research 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 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Peabody Energy Stock Down 4.4 %

Shares of BTU opened at $13.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $12.15 and a 12 month high of $29.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.53 and its 200-day moving average is $20.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.