GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) Given Sector Perform Rating at Royal Bank of Canada

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF)‘s stock had its “sector perform” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $2.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target points to a potential upside of 67.36% from the stock’s current price.

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

GrafTech International Stock Down 11.5 %

Shares of EAF traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1.20. The company had a trading volume of 1,018,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,393,260. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.44. The stock has a market cap of $307.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.02 and a beta of 0.97. GrafTech International has a 52 week low of $0.52 and a 52 week 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share 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 prior year, the firm posted ($0.27) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that GrafTech International will post -0.43 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of GrafTech International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 29,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 51,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 18,130 shares during the period. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 113.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 61,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 32,450 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GrafTech International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 30.0% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 101,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 23,413 shares during the period. 92.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.