Arizona State Retirement System Sells 5,525 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Arizona State Retirement System trimmed its stake in Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,555 shares of the coal producer’s stock after selling 5,525 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 49.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,873,533 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $193,137,000 after purchasing an additional 2,595,279 shares during the last quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 2,249.0% during the first quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,104,738 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $51,629,000 after purchasing an additional 2,015,138 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 2,630.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,189,512 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $30,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145,947 shares during the last quarter. PointState Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy during the first quarter worth $27,379,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 106.1% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,154,535 shares of the coal producer’s stock worth $52,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109,261 shares during the last quarter. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

Shares of BTU opened at $24.09 on Friday. Peabody Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $17.71 and a 1 year high of $27.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $24.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.52.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The coal producer reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.08). Peabody Energy had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The business had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.65 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 21st. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BTU shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Peabody Energy in a report on Friday, April 12th. B. Riley decreased their price target on Peabody Energy from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity at Peabody Energy

In related news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of Peabody Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total value of $357,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Peabody Energy news, Director Nicholas J. Chirekos sold 14,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $357,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,114.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total value of $167,714.82. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,854,150.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,806 shares of company stock valued at $1,339,565. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.