Huntington National Bank Boosts Stock Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Huntington National Bank raised its position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 154.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 237 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $58,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 53.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% in 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 during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $170,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EXP opened at $211.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 1.25. 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 1-year low of $205.44 and a 1-year high of $321.93. The business has a 50-day moving average of $232.17 and a 200-day moving average of $263.18.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a net margin of 20.91% and a return on equity of 34.14%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on EXP. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Eagle Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $279.40.

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.