Insider Buying: GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Major Shareholder Buys 163,250 Shares of Stock

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd purchased 163,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.81 per share, with a total value of $295,482.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 30,411,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,044,114.53. The purchase 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.

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

• On Friday, May 3rd, Colonial House Capital Ltd purchased 533,009 shares of GrafTech International stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $1.77 per share, for a total transaction of $943,425.93.
• On Friday, April 26th, Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 179,279 shares of GrafTech International stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $1.48 per share, with a total value of $265,332.92.
• On Tuesday, April 16th, Colonial House Capital Ltd bought 2,303,599 shares of GrafTech International stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $1.78 per share, for a total transaction of $4,100,406.22.

GrafTech International Trading Down 2.2 %

EAF stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $1.77. 2,644,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,517,964. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.95. GrafTech International Ltd. has a one year low of $1.18 and a one year high of $5.32. The company has a current ratio of 3.73, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.74.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 66.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.02) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GrafTech International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in GrafTech International by 39.2% during the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 4,147 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of GrafTech International by 3.4% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,287,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,761,000 after acquiring an additional 75,943 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 36.7% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 51,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 13,730 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of GrafTech International by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 109,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $420,000 after acquiring an additional 3,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in GrafTech International during the third quarter valued at $182,000. 92.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on EAF shares. UBS Group began coverage on shares of GrafTech International in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of 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 reduced their price objective on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, GrafTech International presently 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.