GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the six research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $10.6667.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of GrafTech International from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of GrafTech International from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of GrafTech International from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of GrafTech International in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of GrafTech International in a report on Tuesday, April 14th.

GrafTech International Stock Up 2.8%

GrafTech International stock opened at $7.24 on Friday. GrafTech International has a twelve month low of $4.92 and a twelve month high of $20.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.46. The company has a market capitalization of $188.71 million, a P/E ratio of -0.84 and a beta of 1.77.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($2.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.25) by ($0.80). The firm had revenue of $125.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $120.60 million. Equities analysts expect that GrafTech International will post -6.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of GrafTech International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EAF. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of GrafTech International during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GrafTech International during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. AEGON USA Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GrafTech International during the 1st quarter valued at $102,000. Krilogy Financial LLC raised its position in shares of GrafTech International by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of GrafTech International during the 4th quarter valued at $157,000. 92.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GrafTech International Company Profile

GrafTech International (NYSE: EAF) is a leading global manufacturer of graphite electrodes and other specialty graphite products used primarily in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) for steel production. The company’s core offerings include ultrahigh-power, high-power and regular power electrodes, along with related accessories such as graphite shapes and heterogeneous carbon materials. These products play a critical role in steelmaking by conducting the high electrical currents required to melt scrap steel efficiently and with reduced environmental impact compared to traditional blast furnace methods.

With a manufacturing footprint spanning North America, Europe and Asia, GrafTech serves steel producers and foundries worldwide.