Cannell & Spears LLC Has $1.94 Million Holdings in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF)

Cannell & Spears LLC boosted its holdings in GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) by 138.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,122,155 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 651,250 shares during the quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC owned 0.44% of GrafTech International worth $1,941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in GrafTech International by 475.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,458,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,246,000 after buying an additional 2,031,652 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of GrafTech International by 385.5% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 175,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 139,513 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 81.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,536,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,623,000 after purchasing an additional 2,029,350 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of GrafTech International by 30.0% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 101,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 23,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in GrafTech International by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 343,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 20,902 shares during the last quarter. 92.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GrafTech International Price Performance

GrafTech International stock opened at $0.86 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.54. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 12 month low of $0.52 and a 12 month high of $2.53. The company has a market cap of $220.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.68 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 4.55, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.27) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.57 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other GrafTech International news, CFO Rory F. O’donnell purchased 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1.04 per share, for a total transaction of $52,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,000. This represents a 100.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on EAF shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of GrafTech International from $1.00 to $2.20 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on GrafTech International from $2.00 to $1.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $2.00 price objective on shares of GrafTech International in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded GrafTech International from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th.

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.