Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 496,713 Shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its position in shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF - Free Report) by 60.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 330,752 shares of the company's stock after selling 496,713 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.13% of GrafTech International worth $572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EAF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of GrafTech International by 475.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,458,829 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,246,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031,652 shares during the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC increased its holdings in GrafTech International by 138.3% during the fourth quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 1,122,155 shares of the company's stock worth $1,941,000 after buying an additional 651,250 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new stake in GrafTech International in the fourth quarter worth about $284,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in GrafTech International by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,672,876 shares of the company's stock worth $8,084,000 after acquiring an additional 136,644 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in GrafTech International by 25.2% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 613,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 123,574 shares during the last quarter. 92.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

GrafTech International Stock Performance

EAF stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $1.04. 4,411,357 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,712,556. The firm has a market capitalization of $268.44 million, a PE ratio of -2.04 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $0.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.35. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 52 week low of $0.52 and a 52 week high of $2.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 4.55.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $111.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $122.33 million. GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 24.34% and a negative return on equity of 709.85%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.10) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.57 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EAF. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of GrafTech International from $1.50 to $0.80 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $2.00 price objective on shares of GrafTech International in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1.63.

Insider Activity at GrafTech International

In other GrafTech International news, Director Jean-Marc Germain purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $0.78 per share, with a total value of $39,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 90,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,200. The trade was a 125.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.