Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Reduces Stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lowered its position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,885 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 598 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $1,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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 valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth $170,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,655 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on EXP shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $242.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Eagle Materials from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EXP opened at $234.98 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.78 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $234.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $264.67. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.44 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

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.