Yacktman Asset Management LP Grows Holdings in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF)

Yacktman Asset Management LP raised its position in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) by 27.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,922,290 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,580,133 shares during the period. Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings in GrafTech International were worth $26,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in GrafTech International in the third quarter worth $44,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of GrafTech International in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of GrafTech International by 39.2% during the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 4,147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of GrafTech International during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EAF shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on GrafTech International from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other GrafTech International news, major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd bought 2,303,599 shares of GrafTech International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $1.78 per share, with a total value of $4,100,406.22. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 29,535,575 shares in the company, valued at $52,573,323.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

GrafTech International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAF traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1.53. 4,390,499 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,565,618. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.06. The company has a market cap of $392.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.48 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 3.54, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.90. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 12-month low of $1.18 and a 12-month high of $5.32.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported ($0.27) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $137.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.20 million. GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 41.14% and a negative return on equity of 39.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 44.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.17 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GrafTech International 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.