Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Increases Holdings in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 230,279 shares of the coal producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,646 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.19% of Peabody Energy worth $4,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BTU. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 14.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 171,272 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 167.4% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 200,073 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after buying an additional 125,244 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 9.7% during the third 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. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Peabody Energy by 255.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 117,071 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $3,107,000 after acquiring an additional 84,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new position in Peabody Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $516,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BTU. Jefferies Financial Group 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 Monday, January 6th. Benchmark decreased 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 Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

NYSE BTU opened at $13.72 on Monday. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $12.15 and a 1-year high of $29.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $15.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.86.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 10.33%. On average, equities analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.11%.

About Peabody Energy

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.