Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Shares Purchased by Hood River Capital Management LLC

Hood River Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 311,335 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,600 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC owned about 0.94% of Eagle Materials worth $76,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of EXP. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Eagle Materials by 154.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 237 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $81,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $125,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EXP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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 lowered their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price target on the stock. Eight equities research 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.com, Eagle Materials currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

EXP stock opened at $214.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.38. The firm has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.25. 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 $201.61 and a 1 year high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its earnings results 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, equities analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $940,650.80. This represents a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.