Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) Major Shareholder Elliott Investment Management Sells 346,187 Shares of Stock

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) major shareholder Elliott Investment Management sold 346,187 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.29, for a total value of $8,062,695.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 20,763,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,584,709.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Elliott Investment Management also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, November 17th, Elliott Investment Management sold 489,643 shares of Peabody Energy stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.69, for a total value of $11,599,642.67.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of Peabody Energy stock opened at $23.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $17.71 and a 12 month high of $32.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.33. The stock has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.04.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The coal producer reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.36). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 28.76% and a net margin of 22.47%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 8th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 323.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,100 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the first quarter worth about $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 84.5% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the second quarter worth about $33,000. 82.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BTU shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Peabody Energy from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. TheStreet raised Peabody Energy from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, B. Riley lifted their target price on Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.50.

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, and internationally. The company operates through Seaborne Thermal Mining, Seaborne Metallurgical Mining, Powder River Basin Mining, and Other U.S.