Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $337,000 in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 16,094 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $337,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Peabody Energy by 167.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 63.3% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,755 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Peabody Energy by 144.2% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Peabody Energy by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,289 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,762 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Up 9.8 %

Shares of BTU opened at $12.36 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.52. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) 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 research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BTU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of 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.