GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) Shares Sold by Yacktman Asset Management LP

Yacktman Asset Management LP reduced its position in shares of GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,639,480 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,152,064 shares during the quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings in GrafTech International were worth $18,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EAF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in GrafTech International by 475.6% during the third 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. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of GrafTech International by 81.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,536,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,623,000 after buying an additional 2,029,350 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC grew its position in shares of GrafTech International by 385.5% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 175,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 139,513 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in GrafTech International during the third quarter worth about $156,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in GrafTech International in the third quarter worth about $155,000. 92.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

GrafTech International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAF opened at $1.14 on Tuesday. GrafTech International Ltd. has a 12-month low of $0.52 and a 12-month high of $2.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.44. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.38.

GrafTech International (NYSE:EAF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.01. GrafTech International had a negative return on equity of 459.99% and a negative net margin of 55.21%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.27) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that GrafTech International Ltd. will post -0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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.