SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday.

SunCoke Energy Stock Down 0.2 %

SXC stock opened at $8.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $736.63 million, a PE ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average of $8.49 and a 200-day moving average of $9.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 2.22. SunCoke Energy has a one year low of $7.47 and a one year high of $11.85.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The energy company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.03. SunCoke Energy had a net margin of 3.11% and a return on equity of 9.56%. The firm had revenue of $470.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $410.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.24 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that SunCoke Energy will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

SunCoke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This is a positive change from SunCoke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. SunCoke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SunCoke Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SXC. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 16,856 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $190,000 after purchasing an additional 1,158 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in SunCoke Energy by 1.6% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 92,532 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $907,000 after buying an additional 1,464 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of SunCoke Energy by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 820,731 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,043,000 after acquiring an additional 2,335 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of SunCoke Energy by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 99,682 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 2,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 62,728 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 3,570 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.45% of the company’s stock.

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.