UBS Group Cuts GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) Price Target to $0.80

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) had its price objective reduced by UBS Group from $1.50 to $0.80 in a report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $2.00 price objective on shares of GrafTech International in a research note on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1.63.

GrafTech International Stock Performance

Shares of GrafTech International stock opened at $0.84 on Tuesday. GrafTech International has a 52 week low of $0.52 and a 52 week high of $2.53. The company has a market capitalization of $216.74 million, a PE ratio of -1.65 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $0.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 4.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by $0.02. GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 24.34% and a negative return on equity of 709.85%. The firm had revenue of $111.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.33 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.10) earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that GrafTech International will post -0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at GrafTech International

In other news, Director Jean-Marc Germain acquired 50,000 shares of GrafTech International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $0.78 per share, with a total value of $39,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 90,000 shares in the company, valued at $70,200. This trade represents a 125.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GrafTech International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 475.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,458,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,246,000 after buying an additional 2,031,652 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in GrafTech International by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 613,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 123,574 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in GrafTech International by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 408,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 38,482 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 81.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,536,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,623,000 after purchasing an additional 2,029,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of GrafTech International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,101,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,827,000 after purchasing an additional 48,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.83% of the company’s stock.

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.