Level Four Advisory Services LLC Decreases Holdings in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) by 58.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,807 shares of the company’s stock after selling 192,174 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.05% of GrafTech International worth $300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of EAF. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 1,425.0% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 4,422,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,686,000 after buying an additional 4,132,961 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its stake in GrafTech International by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 22,971,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,981,000 after purchasing an additional 2,618,477 shares during the period. Yacktman Asset Management LP increased its stake in GrafTech International by 27.6% in the 4th quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP now owns 11,922,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,110,000 after purchasing an additional 2,580,133 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in GrafTech International by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,521,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,091,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095,959 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in GrafTech International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,954,000. 92.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GrafTech International Price Performance

EAF opened at $1.97 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.74, a current ratio of 3.73 and a quick ratio of 1.91. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 52-week low of $1.18 and a 52-week high of $5.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.83.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.08. GrafTech International had a negative return on equity of 66.36% and a negative net margin of 45.08%. The firm had revenue of $136.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $125.73 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.02) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at GrafTech International

In other news, major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd purchased 179,279 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1.48 per share, for a total transaction of $265,332.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,714,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,977,983.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have bought 3,626,085 shares of company stock worth $6,379,107 over the last ninety days. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on GrafTech International from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, GrafTech International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1.88.

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.