GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Major Shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd Purchases 179,279 Shares

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 179,279 shares of GrafTech International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.48 per share, with a total value of $265,332.92. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 29,714,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,977,983.92. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Colonial House Capital Ltd also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, April 16th, Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 2,303,599 shares of GrafTech International stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.78 per share, with a total value of $4,100,406.22.

GrafTech International Trading Up 5.1 %

GrafTech International stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $1.66. 2,473,931 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,566,037. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.90, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 1.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $426.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.54 and a beta of 1.14. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 52-week low of $1.18 and a 52-week high of $5.32.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.08. The business had revenue of $136.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $125.73 million. GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 45.08% and a negative return on equity of 52.49%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.02) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of GrafTech International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of GrafTech International by 211.9% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 9,511 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in GrafTech International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Terril Brothers Inc. purchased a new stake in GrafTech International during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Welch Group LLC grew its position in GrafTech International by 71.2% during the 1st quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 34,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 14,243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in GrafTech International during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. 92.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.