Brokerages Set GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) PT at $1.88

Shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1.88.

A number of research firms have recently commented on EAF. UBS Group began coverage on GrafTech International in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $2.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on GrafTech International from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 15th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other GrafTech International news, major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 179,279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.48 per share, for a total transaction of $265,332.92. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 29,714,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,977,983.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of GrafTech International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of GrafTech International in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of GrafTech International by 211.9% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 9,511 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of GrafTech International by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 4,147 shares during the period. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of GrafTech International in the 3rd quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of GrafTech International in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.83% of the company’s stock.

GrafTech International Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE EAF opened at $1.80 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.74, a current ratio of 3.73 and a quick ratio of 1.81. GrafTech International has a 1-year low of $1.18 and a 1-year high of $5.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $462.91 million, a P/E ratio of -1.65 and a beta of 1.05.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.08. The company had revenue of $136.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $125.73 million. GrafTech International had a negative return on equity of 66.36% and a negative net margin of 45.08%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.02) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that GrafTech International will post -0.43 EPS for the current year.

GrafTech International Company Profile

GrafTech International Ltd. research, develops, manufactures, and sells graphite and carbon-based solutions worldwide. The company offers graphite electrodes to produce electric arc furnace steel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals; and petroleum needle coke, a crystalline form of carbon used in the production of graphite electrodes and synthetic graphite.