LPL Financial LLC Raises Stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 64,672 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,682 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $15,959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter valued at $170,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EXP has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:EXP opened at $227.42 on Wednesday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.44 and a 52 week high of $321.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $235.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $264.88.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released 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 predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

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.