7,242 Shares in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Purchased by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 7,242 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,787,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in 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. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $170,000. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Eagle Materials

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased 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 trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on EXP shares. DA Davidson cut their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $286.40.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 4.6 %

EXP opened at $228.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.44 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $238.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share 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, research analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. 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.