SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Stock Price Down 7% After Analyst Downgrade

SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SXC) fell 7% during mid-day trading on Thursday after B. Riley Financial lowered their price target on the stock from $10.00 to $9.00. B. Riley Financial currently has a neutral rating on the stock. SunCoke Energy traded as low as $6.31 and last traded at $6.3450. 1,301,541 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 19% from the average session volume of 1,091,337 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.82.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of SunCoke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SunCoke Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of SunCoke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $75,000. VARCOV Co. acquired a new position in SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $380,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $164,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $138,000. Finally, Odyssean LLC acquired a new position in SunCoke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $248,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.45% of the company’s stock.

SunCoke Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 2.11. The company has a market capitalization of $537.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.18 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.60.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The energy company reported ($1.00) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($1.10). The business had revenue of $480.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $437.45 million. SunCoke Energy had a negative net margin of 2.41% and a positive return on equity of 7.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that SunCoke Energy, Inc. will post 0.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SunCoke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.6%. SunCoke Energy’s payout ratio is 63.16%.

About SunCoke Energy

SunCoke Energy, Inc is a leading independent producer of metallurgical coke and related products for the steel and foundry industries. The company specializes in manufacturing both blast furnace coke and foundry coke, offering high‐quality, low‐sulfur coal products that serve as essential inputs in steelmaking and metal casting processes. In addition to coke production, SunCoke provides comprehensive engineering, maintenance and environmental solutions tailored to the needs of integrated steel mills and foundries.

The company operates a network of coke production facilities across the United States, including plants in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Louisiana.