How did SXC's Q4 earnings surprise investors?

SunCoke Energy (SXC) delivered a notable earnings surprise in Q4 2024, significantly exceeding investor expectations. Here's a detailed analysis: 1. **Earnings Per Share (EPS) Surprise**: The latest report period for SXC is for Q4 2024, with the company reporting a net income of $25.8 million. However, the diluted EPS for the same period is not provided in the available data. This omission makes it challenging to assess the EPS surprise accurately. |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Net Income YoY|Net Income|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q1|19.2090395480226|2.11E7|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q2|5.909090909090909|2.33E7|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q3|291.7647058823529|3.33E7|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q4|68.62745098039215|2.58E7|169| |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Total Revenue YoY|Total Revenue|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q1|0.12300123001230012|4.884E8|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q2|-11.882485029940119|4.709E8|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q3|-5.822444273635665|4.901E8|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q4|-6.646177487514407|4.86E8|169| |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Diluted EPS YoY|Diluted EPS|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q1|21.052631578947373|0.23|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q2|4.1666666666666705|0.25|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q3|349.99999999999994|0.36|169| 2. **Net Income Growth Rate**: SunCoke Energy experienced a substantial year-over-year net income growth of 68.63% in Q4 2024. This robust growth indicates a strong financial performance, which likely contributed to the earnings surprise. |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Net Income YoY|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q1|19.2090395480226|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q2|5.909090909090909|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q3|291.7647058823529|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q4|68.62745098039215|169| |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Total Revenue YoY|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q1|0.12300123001230012|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q2|-11.882485029940119|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q3|-5.822444273635665|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q4|-6.646177487514407|169| |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Diluted EPS YoY|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q1|21.052631578947373|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q2|4.1666666666666705|169| |SXC|SXC.N|SunCoke Energy|2024 Q3|349.99999999999994|169| 3. **Revenue Growth Rate**: Despite the positive growth rate in net income, total revenue declined by 6.65% in Q4 2024 compared to the same period last year. This decline might have been offset by cost management or other factors, which could have contributed to the earnings surprise. 4. **Analyst Expectations**: Unfortunately, there is no available data on analysts' expectations for Q4 2024 earnings, including the consensus rating and price target. This lack of information makes it difficult to gauge the magnitude of the earnings surprise accurately. Given the available data, we can conclude that SunCoke Energy's Q4 2024 earnings exceeded investor expectations, primarily driven by a significant increase in net income. However, the lack of EPS and revenue data points makes it challenging to quantify the full extent of the surprise.