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SunCoke EnergySXC -2.19%69 Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Aug. 08, 2026, which is 33% below its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates SXC with a GF Score™ of 69/100 and a GF Value™ of $8.57 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 10 warning signs investors should review. Among 622 Steel companies, SunCoke Energy ranks worse than 63.5% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
SunCoke Energy has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
SXC'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2 Med: 6 Max: 8
Current: 4
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of SunCoke Energy was 8. The lowest was 2. And the median was 6.
SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
SunCoke Energy Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
SunCoke Energy Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
SXC vs METC, AREC, AMR: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Coking Coal subindustry, SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
SunCoke Energy Piotroski F-Score vs Steel Industry
For the Steel industry and Basic Materials sector, SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
SunCoke Energy's current Net Income (TTM) was -55.
==> Negative ==> Score 0.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
SunCoke Energy's return on assets of this year was -0.03332521. SunCoke Energy's return on assets of last year was 0.04440422.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
SunCoke Energy's gearing of this year was 0.37122497. SunCoke Energy's gearing of last year was 0.29757669.
==> Last year is lower than this year ==> Score 0.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
SunCoke Energy's current ratio of this year was 2.25285714. SunCoke Energy's current ratio of last year was 2.61480281.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
SunCoke Energy's number of shares in issue this year was 85.8. SunCoke Energy's number of shares in issue last year was 85.6.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
SunCoke Energy's gross margin of this year was 0.17474705. SunCoke Energy's gross margin of last year was 0.16103347.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
SunCoke Energy's asset turnover of this year was 1.15608627. SunCoke Energy's asset turnover of last year was 1.11384615.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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4
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
SunCoke Energy has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
SunCoke Energy (SXC) has a Piotroski F-Score of 4 as of Aug. 08, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on SunCoke Energy and its competitors. This is 33% below median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, SunCoke Energy ranks #395 out of 622 companies in the Steel industry, placing it in the top 63.5%.
Is SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score too high?
SunCoke Energy's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 33% below median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.00 to a high of 8.00. The Steel industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. SunCoke Energy's value of 4 is 20% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, SunCoke Energy ranks #395 out of 622 companies in the Steel industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, SunCoke Energy has a GF Score™ of 69/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does SunCoke Energy's Piotroski F-Score compare to METC and AREC?
According to the Steel industry distribution chart, SunCoke Energy ranks #395 out of 622 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places SunCoke Energy in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. SunCoke Energy's value of 4 is 20% below this benchmark. Historically, SunCoke Energy's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, SunCoke Energy has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Steel company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Steel companies is 5.00, based on 622 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. SunCoke Energy's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 20% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on SunCoke Energy and its competitors. For the Steel industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. SunCoke Energy's current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 33% below median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is SunCoke Energy stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SunCoke Energy (SXC) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $8.57, compared to a current price of $9.39 — trading 9.6% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 33% below median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 20% below the Steel industry median of 5.00. SunCoke Energy's overall GF Score™ is 69/100 with 10 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For SunCoke Energy (SXC), the current Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Aug. 08, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is SunCoke Energy (SXC) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SunCoke Energy stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $9.39 is trading 9.6% above its estimated GF Value™ of $8.57.
GuruFocus considers SunCoke Energy to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for SXC:
Piotroski F-Score: 4 (33% below median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $8.57 vs. price of $9.39 (9.6% above fair value)
Industry Position: 20% below the Steel median (#395 of 622)
No single metric tells the full story. See the SXC stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
SunCoke Energy Inc operates as an independent producer of coke in the Americas. Its coke is mainly used as a principal raw material in the blast furnace steelmaking process as well as in the foundry production of casted iron. The company operates through two segments: Domestic Coke and Industrial Services. 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. The majority of revenue is derived from the Domestic Coke segment.
69GF Score
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