Blair William & Co. IL Has $1.70 Million Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Blair William & Co. IL decreased its position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 25.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,882 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,410 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $1,698,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 60.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $499,111,000 after buying an additional 652,836 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,115,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,846,000. Merewether Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the third quarter worth approximately $22,552,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 270,711 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $66,801,000 after purchasing an additional 37,689 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EXP opened at $227.42 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $264.88. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.44 and a 1-year high of $321.93. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. Analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on EXP shares. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DA Davidson reduced 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 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 research report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.