SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Downgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

Separately, Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of SunCoke Energy in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd.

SunCoke Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of SXC opened at $10.23 on Thursday. SunCoke Energy has a fifty-two week low of $7.67 and a fifty-two week high of $11.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.11 and a 200 day moving average of $10.57. The firm has a market cap of $860.04 million, a P/E ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 2.06.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The energy company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. SunCoke Energy had a net margin of 2.97% and a return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $488.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $549.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.19 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that SunCoke Energy will post 0.9 EPS for the current year.

SunCoke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 14th. SunCoke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 56.34%.

Insider Transactions at SunCoke Energy

In related news, CTO John F. Quanci sold 4,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.67, for a total transaction of $48,356.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 19,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $212,567.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SunCoke Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SunCoke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in SunCoke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in SunCoke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Optas LLC bought a new stake in SunCoke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in SunCoke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $112,000. 90.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SunCoke Energy

SunCoke Energy, Inc operates as an independent producer of coke in the Americas and Brazil. The company operates through three segments: Domestic Coke, Brazil Coke, and Logistics. It offers metallurgical and thermal coal. The company also provides handling and/or mixing services to steel, coke, electric utility, coal producing, and other manufacturing based customers.