Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Shares Sold by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,780 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,144 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $3,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 50.0% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,887 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $828,000 after acquiring an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 78.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,915,000 after buying an additional 16,645 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 707,607 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $203,585,000 after buying an additional 23,911 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 20.0% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $906,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EXP. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 target price for the company. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 1.3 %

EXP opened at $226.71 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $226.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.19 and a beta of 1.25. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.61 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 34.14%. On average, research analysts expect 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 was paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was 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.