Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys 13,988 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 592,069 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 13,988 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 1.78% of Eagle Materials worth $146,099,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sprott Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 1,695 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Eagle Materials by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,086 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 920 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of EXP stock opened at $216.78 on Friday. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $201.61 and a 52-week high of $321.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $223.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $258.54. 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 (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, sell-side analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. 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 target price for the company. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. 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 stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $279.40.

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.