Range Financial Group LLC Buys New Stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 9,253 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $224,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rheos Capital Works Inc. increased its position in Peabody Energy by 189.8% during the 1st quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 579,500 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $14,059,000 after purchasing an additional 379,500 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $5,208,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Peabody Energy by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 134,193 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $3,264,000 after buying an additional 32,775 shares during the last quarter. Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of Peabody Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,051,000. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 94,131 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $2,289,000 after acquiring an additional 10,181 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 1.6 %

BTU stock opened at $22.23 on Tuesday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $20.51 and a 52 week high of $27.24. The company has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.16.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The coal producer reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. The company had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.03 million. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 11.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Peabody Energy in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Peabody Energy from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, B. Riley lowered their price target on Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Peabody Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.25.

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.