SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• SunCoke Energy reached a new 52-week high of $11.50, trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the consensus rating is “Hold” with a $9.00 target price, despite one recent upgrade to “Buy.”
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $0.25 in EPS and $485.9 million in revenue, while declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share for a 4.1% annualized yield.

SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SXC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday. The company traded as high as $11.50 and last traded at $11.4480, with a volume of 36,905 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.33.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of SunCoke Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings raised SunCoke Energy from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.00.

SunCoke Energy Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $982.85 million, a PE ratio of -17.83 and a beta of 1.01.

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $485.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $456.55 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that SunCoke Energy, Inc. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SunCoke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 17th. SunCoke Energy's payout ratio is -73.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SunCoke Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in SunCoke Energy by 126.3% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,259 shares of the energy company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,819 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in SunCoke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in SunCoke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in SunCoke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in SunCoke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $49,000. 90.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

SunCoke Energy Company Profile

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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