SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Benchmark

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by research analysts at Benchmark in a research note issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $12.00 price objective on the energy company's stock. Benchmark's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 18.52% from the stock's previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of SunCoke Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th.

SunCoke Energy Trading Up 2.8 %

SXC traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $10.13. The stock had a trading volume of 692,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 824,377. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.86. SunCoke Energy has a 52 week low of $6.71 and a 52 week high of $11.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $851.21 million, a P/E ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 1.19. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $10.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.30.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The energy company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. SunCoke Energy had a net margin of 2.79% and a return on equity of 8.99%. The firm had revenue of $488.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $549.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that SunCoke Energy will post 0.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at SunCoke Energy

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 115,571 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,302,000 after buying an additional 19,020 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in SunCoke Energy by 130.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 114,779 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 64,978 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC acquired a new position in SunCoke Energy during the first quarter worth about $872,000. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in SunCoke Energy during the first quarter worth about $174,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of SunCoke Energy by 9.9% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 57,945 shares of the energy company's stock worth $653,000 after acquiring an additional 5,210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.