Adams Asset Advisors LLC Makes New $1.36 Million Investment in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Adams Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 65,000 shares of the coal producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,361,000. Adams Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Peabody Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Peabody Energy by 79.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 175,424 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $4,693,000 after acquiring an additional 77,525 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in shares of Peabody Energy in the third quarter worth about $1,714,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,918,536 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $77,473,000 after buying an additional 216,887 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Peabody Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,631,707 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $202,546,000 after buying an additional 540,219 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position 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 worth $5,310,000 after acquiring an additional 125,244 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.44% of the company’s stock.

Peabody Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Peabody Energy stock traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $18.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,476,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,211,518. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.45. The stock has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Peabody Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $17.73 and a 12-month high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The coal producer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.16. Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 12.24%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 7.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $295,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,939,759.20. The trade was a 13.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark lifted their target price on Peabody Energy from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. B. Riley increased their price objective on shares of Peabody Energy from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

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.