BMO Capital Markets Raises GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) Price Target to $1.50

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets increased the price target for GrafTech International from $1.00 to $1.50, indicating a potential upside of 0.33% from the current share price.
• UBS Group, however, lowered its price objective on GrafTech to $0.80 and maintained a "neutral" rating, reflecting differing analyst outlooks on the stock.
• Insider trading revealed that Director Jean-Marc Germain purchased 50,000 shares at $0.78, marking a significant increase in his holdings, now valued at around $70,200.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $1.00 to $1.50 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target indicates a potential upside of 17.19% from the stock's previous close.

Separately, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of GrafTech International from $1.50 to $0.80 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1.63.

GrafTech International Trading Down 7.9%

GrafTech International stock traded down $0.11 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $1.28. The company had a trading volume of 2,539,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,712,000. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.07. GrafTech International has a 52 week low of $0.52 and a 52 week high of $2.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.56 and a beta of 1.63.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 25th. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.12) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $131.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $130.44 million. On average, analysts predict that GrafTech International will post -0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GrafTech International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAF. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of GrafTech International during the second quarter worth $366,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in GrafTech International by 175.1% in the 2nd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 198,545 shares of the company's stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 126,385 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 66,335 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 25,818 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in shares of GrafTech International by 42.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 27,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 8,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC grew its position in shares of GrafTech International by 101.0% during the second quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 201,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 101,000 shares in the last quarter. 92.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.