GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) Earns “Sector Perform” Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF)‘s stock had its “sector perform” rating reiterated by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $2.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 81.00% from the stock’s current price.

EAF has been the subject of several other research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of GrafTech International from $1.00 to $2.20 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded GrafTech International from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday.

GrafTech International Stock Down 3.1 %

NYSE EAF opened at $1.11 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.45. GrafTech International has a one year low of $0.52 and a one year high of $2.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 3.79. The company has a market capitalization of $284.17 million, a P/E ratio of -0.94 and a beta of 0.97.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.01. GrafTech International had a negative return on equity of 459.99% and a negative net margin of 55.21%. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.27) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that GrafTech International will post -0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GrafTech International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings 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 valued at $3,246,000 after acquiring an additional 2,031,652 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in GrafTech International by 81.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,536,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,623,000 after purchasing an additional 2,029,350 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of GrafTech International in the 4th quarter valued at about $284,000. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of GrafTech International by 385.5% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 175,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 139,513 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of GrafTech International during the third quarter valued at approximately $156,000. Institutional investors 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.