Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. Trims Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 24.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 107,390 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 35,530 shares during the quarter. Eagle Materials accounts for 1.9% of Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. owned 0.32% of Eagle Materials worth $26,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EXP. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position 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 buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Eagle Materials by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,981 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 1,022 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 1,695 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the 4th 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. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on EXP. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,655 shares in the company, 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 owned by company insiders.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

EXP stock opened at $213.84 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $245.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27 and a beta of 1.37. 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 1 year low of $205.44 and a 1 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 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 predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. 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.