Leuthold Group LLC Sells 774 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Leuthold Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,423 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 774 shares during the quarter. Leuthold Group LLC owned about 0.06% of Eagle Materials worth $6,162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 79.2% during the first quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 95 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 132.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 114 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the first quarter worth about $42,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 1,760.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on EXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Raymond James cut Eagle Materials from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stephens lifted their target price on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Eagle Materials from $309.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Eagle Materials presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.78.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total value of $1,333,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 60,488 shares in the company, valued at $16,135,778.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total transaction of $512,838.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,861,385.22. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total value of $1,333,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 60,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,135,778.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,851 shares of company stock worth $2,124,258. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

NYSE EXP opened at $288.16 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $274.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $252.09. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.03 and a 1 year high of $306.36.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.37. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 21.65% and a return on equity of 37.10%. The company had revenue of $608.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $622.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.55 EPS. Eagle Materials’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 15.9 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 17th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.34%.

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.