Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Stock Position in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) by 25.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 613,586 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 123,574 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.24% of GrafTech International worth $1,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in GrafTech International by 475.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,458,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,246,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031,652 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in GrafTech International by 81.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,536,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,623,000 after acquiring an additional 2,029,350 shares during the period. Cannell & Spears LLC boosted its holdings in GrafTech International by 138.3% in the 4th quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 1,122,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,941,000 after purchasing an additional 651,250 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of GrafTech International during the 4th quarter valued at $284,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in shares of GrafTech International by 385.5% in the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 175,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 139,513 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at GrafTech International

In related news, CFO Rory F. O’donnell purchased 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1.04 per share, for a total transaction of $52,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $104,000. The trade was a 100.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

GrafTech International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAF opened at $0.56 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $144.00 million, a PE ratio of -1.10 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $0.95 and its 200 day moving average is $1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 4.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 52 week low of $0.52 and a 52 week high of $2.53.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.01. GrafTech International had a negative return on equity of 709.85% and a negative net margin of 24.34%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.27) earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on EAF shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $2.00 price target on shares of GrafTech International in a report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th.

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.