SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Shares Down 7% on Analyst Downgrade

SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SXC)’s stock price fell 7% 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 were traded 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.00.

Institutional Trading of SunCoke Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in SunCoke Energy by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,256 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,318 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in shares of SunCoke Energy by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 21,733 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $187,000 after buying an additional 1,547 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 223,115 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,917,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in SunCoke Energy by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in SunCoke Energy by 80.6% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,629 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.45% of the company’s stock.

SunCoke Energy Trading Down 7.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $7.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.60. The firm has a market cap of $537.15 million, a PE ratio of -12.18 and a beta of 0.98.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The energy company reported ($1.00) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($1.10). SunCoke Energy had a positive return on equity of 7.43% and a negative net margin of 2.41%.The firm had revenue of $480.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $437.45 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that SunCoke Energy, Inc. will post 0.71 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. SunCoke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.