BMO Capital Markets Has Lowered Expectations for GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) Stock Price

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) had its price objective cut by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $2.00 to $1.50 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price indicates a potential upside of 35.75% from the stock’s current price.

EAF has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of GrafTech International from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on GrafTech International from $1.00 to $2.20 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd.

GrafTech International Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE EAF opened at $1.11 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $284.17 million, a PE ratio of -0.94 and a beta of 0.97. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1.71 and its 200 day moving average is $1.45. GrafTech International has a twelve month low of $0.52 and a twelve month high of $2.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.01. GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 55.21% and a negative return on equity of 459.99%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.27) EPS. Research analysts forecast that GrafTech International will post -0.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of GrafTech International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAF. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in GrafTech International in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new position in GrafTech International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in GrafTech International during the 4th quarter valued at $142,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 83,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 21,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 4,461,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,719,000 after purchasing an additional 93,722 shares during the last quarter. 92.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About GrafTech International

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.