GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Shares Bought by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF - Free Report) by 1,425.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,422,999 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,132,961 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 1.72% of GrafTech International worth $9,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EAF. CWM LLC lifted its stake in GrafTech International by 211.9% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,000 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 9,511 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in GrafTech International by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 858,626 shares of the company's stock worth $1,880,000 after purchasing an additional 56,925 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in GrafTech International during the fourth quarter worth about $1,954,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of GrafTech International in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 29,006 shares during the last quarter. 92.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other GrafTech International news, major shareholder Colonial House Capital Ltd acquired 179,279 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.48 per share, for a total transaction of $265,332.92. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 29,714,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,977,983.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

GrafTech International Trading Up 6.0 %

EAF traded up $0.10 on Thursday, hitting $1.77. The company had a trading volume of 4,180,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,569,643. The company has a market cap of $455.19 million, a PE ratio of -1.57 and a beta of 1.05. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 12-month low of $1.18 and a 12-month high of $5.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 3.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.74. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $1.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.99.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.08. The business had revenue of $136.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $125.73 million. GrafTech International had a negative net margin of 45.08% and a negative return on equity of 66.36%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.02) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.52 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on EAF shares. UBS Group started coverage on GrafTech International in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $2.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on GrafTech International from $3.00 to $2.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup cut their target price on GrafTech International from $4.00 to $2.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut 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 Thursday, February 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, GrafTech International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $1.88.

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.