B. Riley Financial Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Stock

Key Points

• B. Riley Financial raised SunCoke Energy’s price target from $9 to $11 while maintaining a neutral rating; the new target implied about 4% downside from the stock’s $11.46 price.
• SunCoke reported quarterly EPS of $0.25, beating the $0.11 consensus estimate, while revenue of $485.9 million exceeded expectations but declined slightly year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly cautious, with an average “Hold” rating and $11.00 price target. Institutional investors own approximately 90.45% of the company’s shares.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by B. Riley Financial from $9.00 to $11.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the energy company's stock. B. Riley Financial's target price points to a potential downside of 4.01% from the company's current price.

SXC has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings raised SunCoke Energy from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of SunCoke Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.00.

SunCoke Energy Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:SXC traded up $0.13 on Monday, hitting $11.46. 346,723 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,488,359. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 2.03. SunCoke Energy has a 1-year low of $5.51 and a 1-year high of $11.60. The company has a market capitalization of $972.67 million, a PE ratio of -17.69 and a beta of 1.01. The firm's 50-day moving average is $9.98 and its 200 day moving average is $8.29.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The energy company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.14. SunCoke Energy had a positive return on equity of 5.68% and a negative net margin of 2.91%. The business had revenue of $485.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $456.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that SunCoke Energy will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SunCoke Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SXC. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 30.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,050 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,437 shares of the energy company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,422 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in SunCoke Energy by 126.3% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,259 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,819 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in SunCoke Energy by 0.6% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 487,204 shares of the energy company's stock worth $3,922,000 after purchasing an additional 3,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in SunCoke Energy in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.45% of the company's stock.

About SunCoke Energy

SunCoke Energy, Inc NYSE: SXC is a producer of metallurgical coke, a carbon-based fuel and reducing agent used in blast-furnace steelmaking. The company converts coal into coke through high-temperature processing and captures the resulting heat to generate energy, which can support its facilities and be sold to customers.

SunCoke operates coke-making facilities and related coal-handling, storage and logistics assets, primarily serving integrated steel producers in the United States. Its operations are designed to provide customers with a consistent supply of coke while also generating electricity and recovering other byproducts from the coke-production process.

The company was separated from Sunoco and became a publicly traded company in 2011.

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