GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Major Shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd Acquires 533,009 Shares

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd bought 533,009 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.77 per share, with a total value of $943,425.93. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 30,247,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,538,717.51. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, May 6th, Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 163,250 shares of GrafTech International stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1.81 per share, with a total value of $295,482.50.
• On Friday, April 26th, Colonial House Capital Ltd bought 179,279 shares of GrafTech International stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1.48 per share, for a total transaction of $265,332.92.
• On Tuesday, April 16th, Colonial House Capital Ltd purchased 2,303,599 shares of GrafTech International stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1.78 per share, with a total value of $4,100,406.22.

GrafTech International Price Performance

EAF stock opened at $1.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $446.19 million, a P/E ratio of -1.59 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.74, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 3.73. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 1 year low of $1.18 and a 1 year high of $5.32. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.94.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in GrafTech International by 211.9% during 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 position in GrafTech International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Terril Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of GrafTech International during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Welch Group LLC increased its position in shares of GrafTech International by 71.2% during the first quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 34,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 14,243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of GrafTech International during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. 92.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 research note on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup lowered their price target on GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. UBS Group began coverage on GrafTech International in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped 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 report on Thursday, February 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, GrafTech International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.