Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Purchases 10,169 Shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU) by 16.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 72,053 shares of the coal producer’s stock after buying an additional 10,169 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Peabody Energy were worth $1,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Creative Planning increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 62.7% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 17,757 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 6,844 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 69.7% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,802 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in Peabody Energy by 12.3% in the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 37,065 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $984,000 after purchasing an additional 4,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Old West Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Peabody Energy in the third quarter valued at $976,000. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:BTU opened at $13.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $17.98 and a 200-day moving average of $22.11. The company has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.95. Peabody Energy Co. has a one year low of $13.40 and a one year high of $29.94.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The coal producer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.25). Peabody Energy had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 8.75%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Peabody Energy Co. will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peabody Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Peabody Energy’s payout ratio is 11.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BTU shares. Benchmark decreased their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Peabody Energy from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Peabody Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

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.