Critical Comparison: Puda Coal (OTCMKTS:PUDA) versus SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC)

SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC) and Puda Coal (OTCMKTS:PUDA) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares SunCoke Energy and Puda Coal”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
SunCoke Energy	$1.84 billion	0.32	$95.90 million	$0.76	9.19
Puda Coal	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

SunCoke Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Puda Coal.

Profitability

This table compares SunCoke Energy and Puda Coal’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
SunCoke Energy	3.99%	10.43%	4.44%
Puda Coal	N/A	N/A	N/A

Institutional and Insider Ownership

90.4% of SunCoke Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of SunCoke Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 48.3% of Puda Coal shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for SunCoke Energy and Puda Coal, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
SunCoke Energy	0	2	0	0	2.00
Puda Coal	0	0	0	0	0.00

SunCoke Energy presently has a consensus price target of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 43.16%. Given SunCoke Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe SunCoke Energy is more favorable than Puda Coal.

Summary

SunCoke Energy beats Puda Coal on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SunCoke Energy

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. In addition, it owns and operates cokemaking facilities in the United States and Brazil. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Lisle, Illinois.

About Puda Coal

Puda Coal, Inc., through its indirect equity ownership in Shanxi Puda Coal Group Co., Ltd., supplies metallurgical coking coal in the People's Republic of China. Its processed coking coal is used by coke and steel producers for the purpose of making the coke required for the steel manufacturing process. The company primarily markets its products in the Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hebei Province, Beijing, and Tianjin. It also operates as an acquirer and consolidator of two coal mine consolidation projects, including the Pinglu project in Pinglu County; and the Jianhe project in Huozhou County, Shanxi Province. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Taiyuan, the People's Republic of China.