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

Shares of SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SXC) dropped 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. Approximately 1,301,541 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 19% from the average daily 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 report on Monday, December 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, SunCoke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.00.

Institutional Trading of SunCoke Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. VARCOV Co. purchased a new position in shares of SunCoke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $380,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $164,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $138,000. Finally, Odyssean LLC purchased a new stake in SunCoke Energy during the 4th quarter worth $248,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.45% of the company’s stock.

SunCoke Energy Trading Down 5.6%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $7.67 and a 200-day moving average of $7.59. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $545.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.38 and a beta of 0.98.

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

SunCoke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.5%. SunCoke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.