Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Director Purchases $79,781.60 in Stock

Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $940,650.80. This represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of EXP stock opened at $250.44 on Friday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.44 and a 52-week high of $321.93. The stock has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $255.41 and its 200-day moving average is $270.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of EXP. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the third quarter valued at about $64,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 154.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 237 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $81,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

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.