Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) is Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s 5th Largest Position

Hodges Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 8.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 177,485 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 14,264 shares during the period. Eagle Materials makes up 2.6% of Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Hodges Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.53% of Eagle Materials worth $38,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 79.2% in the 1st 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 last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Materials Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of EXP stock traded down $2.55 on Wednesday, reaching $242.16. 6,595 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 310,156. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $239.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.86. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.03 and a 1-year high of $279.69.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The construction company reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.37. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 37.10% and a net margin of 21.65%. The company had revenue of $608.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $622.06 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.55 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 15.9 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EXP. Citigroup boosted their price target on Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Eagle Materials from $300.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $270.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Raymond James lowered Eagle Materials from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.78.

Insider Activity at Eagle Materials

In other news, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total value of $1,333,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 60,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,135,778.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Eagle Materials news, insider Eric Cribbs sold 1,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.06, for a total transaction of $512,838.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,861,385.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Dale Craig Kesler sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.76, for a total transaction of $1,333,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 60,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,135,778.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.