Cerity Partners LLC Invests $1.95 Million in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF)

Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 892,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,954,000. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.35% of GrafTech International as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of GrafTech International during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its holdings in GrafTech International by 251.7% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 40,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 29,006 shares during the period. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in GrafTech International by 919.7% in the 4th quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 483,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,058,000 after buying an additional 435,925 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in GrafTech International in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in GrafTech International by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 1,559,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,416,000 after buying an additional 25,169 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at GrafTech International

In related news, major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 2,303,599 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1.78 per share, with a total value of $4,100,406.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,535,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,573,323.50. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EAF. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of GrafTech International from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. 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. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, GrafTech International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1.88.

GrafTech International Stock Performance

NYSE EAF opened at $1.52 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $390.88 million, a P/E ratio of -1.52 and a beta of 1.14. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $1.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.11. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 1-year low of $1.18 and a 1-year high of $5.32.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last released its earnings results 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). GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 41.14% and a negative return on equity of 39.57%. The firm had revenue of $137.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $141.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 44.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.49 EPS for the current year.

GrafTech International Company 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.