Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,512 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 779,937 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,512 shares during the period. Eagle Materials comprises about 0.7% of Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $192,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EXP. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 78.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,915,000 after purchasing an additional 16,645 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the third quarter valued at about $34,846,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,123 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $898,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 6.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 162,863 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,435,000 after purchasing an additional 10,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 198,994 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $57,241,000 after acquiring an additional 27,397 shares during the period. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EXP. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Eagle Materials in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $279.40.

Insider Activity at Eagle Materials

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

Eagle Materials Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE EXP opened at $214.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $222.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $257.38. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $201.61 and a one year high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 34.14%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

About Eagle Materials

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.