Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Shares Acquired by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,465 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the third quarter worth $746,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 18.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 965 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,032 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 11.4% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $654,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 11.8% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 27,265 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,843,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $292.40.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EXP opened at $216.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $240.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.09. The stock has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a PE ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 1.37. Eagle Materials Inc. has a one year low of $205.44 and a one year high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors 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 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Eagle Materials 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.