Insider Buying: GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Major Shareholder Acquires $943,425.93 in Stock

GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd purchased 533,009 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1.77 per share, for a total transaction of $943,425.93. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 30,247,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,538,717.51. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 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, for a total transaction of $295,482.50.
• On Friday, April 26th, Colonial House Capital Ltd purchased 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 acquired 2,303,599 shares of GrafTech International stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.78 per share, for a total transaction of $4,100,406.22.

GrafTech International Stock Performance

Shares of GrafTech International stock opened at $1.74 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $1.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.94. The company has a market cap of $446.19 million, a price-to-earnings 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 one year low of $1.18 and a one year high of $5.32.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $136.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $125.73 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.02) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.43 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on EAF shares. UBS Group assumed coverage on GrafTech International in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $2.00 target price for the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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 report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GrafTech International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EAF. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in GrafTech International in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Terril Brothers Inc. purchased a new stake in GrafTech International in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Welch Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 71.2% in 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 position in shares of GrafTech International during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. 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.