Optimize Financial Inc Makes New $247,000 Investment in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 1,001 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 154.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 237 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:EXP opened at $223.27 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.95 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $227.50 and a 200-day moving average of $260.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 12-month low of $201.61 and a 12-month high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on EXP shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Company Profile

Eagle Materials Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells heavy construction materials and light building materials in the United States. It operates in four segments: Cement, Concrete and Aggregates, Gypsum Wallboard, and Recycled Paperboard. The company engages in the mining of limestone for the manufacture, production, distribution, and sale of Portland cement, including Portland limestone cement; grinding and sale of slag; and mining of gypsum for the manufacture and sale of gypsum wallboards used to finish the interior walls and ceilings in residential, commercial, and industrial structures, as well as well as containerboard and lightweight packaging grades; manufacture and sale of recycled paperboard to the gypsum wallboard industry and other paperboard converters; the sale of readymix concrete; and mining and sale of aggregates, such as crushed stone, sand, and gravel.