Sei Investments Co. Sells 18,396 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Sei Investments Co. decreased its position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 24.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,311 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,396 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.17% of Eagle Materials worth $13,895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 98,214 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $24,235,000 after buying an additional 25,896 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,787,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 36,695 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,465 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in Eagle Materials by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 71,938 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,751,000 after purchasing an additional 2,601 shares during the period. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth approximately $473,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $286.40.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

EXP stock opened at $221.02 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $236.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $265.30. The company has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 1.37. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.44 and a 52-week high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last announced its earnings results 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%. Research analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Activity

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought 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 in the company, valued at approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.