SunCoke Energy’s (SXC) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Benchmark

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by investment analysts at Benchmark in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $12.00 price target on the energy company’s stock. Benchmark’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 18.11% from the company’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunCoke Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th.

SunCoke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:SXC traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.16. 227,667 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 818,804. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $854.15 million, a P/E ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 1.19. SunCoke Energy has a 12 month low of $6.71 and a 12 month high of $11.48. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.30.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The energy company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. SunCoke Energy had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 2.79%. The company had revenue of $488.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $549.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. SunCoke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that SunCoke Energy will post 0.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other SunCoke Energy news, CEO Michael G. Rippey sold 48,618 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total transaction of $531,394.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 763,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,344,060.37. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael G. Rippey sold 48,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.93, for a total transaction of $531,394.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 763,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,344,060.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael G. Rippey sold 122,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.11, for a total transaction of $1,361,341.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 521,073 shares in the company, valued at $5,789,121.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 251,572 shares of company stock worth $2,781,834. 1.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SXC. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of SunCoke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in SunCoke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in SunCoke Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in shares of SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $77,000. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC bought a new position in shares of SunCoke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $102,000. 90.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SunCoke Energy Company Profile

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.