AXQ Capital LP Invests $315,000 in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,278 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth $170,000. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais acquired 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, with a total value of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eagle Materials Trading Up 0.3 %

EXP stock opened at $217.86 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $238.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.15. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.44 and a 52 week high of $321.93. The company has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EXP. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, 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 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $286.40.

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.