GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Major Shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd Buys 2,303,599 Shares of Stock

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 2,303,599 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1.78 per share, for a total transaction of $4,100,406.22. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 29,535,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,573,323.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

GrafTech International Price Performance

Shares of EAF opened at $1.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $381.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.49 and a beta of 1.14. GrafTech International Ltd. has a twelve month low of $1.18 and a twelve month high of $5.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.13.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported ($0.27) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.13). GrafTech International had a negative return on equity of 39.57% and a negative net margin of 41.14%. The company had revenue of $137.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $141.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.17 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 44.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on EAF shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of GrafTech International from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of GrafTech International in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GrafTech International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 5.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,925,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,163,000 after buying an additional 1,237,154 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 12.9% during the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 22,971,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,981,000 after buying an additional 2,618,477 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 5.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 13,494,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,010,000 after purchasing an additional 716,235 shares during the last quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP lifted its position in GrafTech International by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP now owns 11,922,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,580,133 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in GrafTech International during the fourth quarter valued at $39,465,000. 92.83% of the stock is currently 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.