Brokerages Set Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) Price Target at $219.78

Shares of Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE:EXP) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the ten analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $218.3333.

EXP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup downgraded Eagle Materials from a “neutral” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Eagle Materials from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Eagle Materials from $220.00 to $207.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Eagle Materials from $208.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th.

Eagle Materials Trading Down 1.3%

EXP opened at $182.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 3.23. Eagle Materials has a one year low of $171.99 and a one year high of $245.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $204.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $205.04.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The construction company reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $650.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $620.35 million. Eagle Materials had a net margin of 17.32% and a return on equity of 26.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.76 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Eagle Materials will post 12.66 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Eagle Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Tony Thompson sold 3,074 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.96, for a total transaction of $626,973.04. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,142 shares in the company, valued at $2,068,562.32. This trade represents a 23.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Materials

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXP. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,406 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $498,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Eagle Materials by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,782 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Eagle Materials by 9.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,294 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Eagle Materials by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Materials Company Profile

Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE: EXP) is a U.S.-based manufacturer of essential building materials used in residential, commercial and infrastructure construction. The company produces and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete, crushed stone and sand, as well as gypsum wallboard.

Its cement business supplies materials for concrete production and construction projects, while its concrete and aggregates operations provide ready-mix concrete and construction aggregates. Through its American Gypsum operations, Eagle Materials manufactures gypsum wallboard used in interior walls and ceilings.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Eagle Materials serves regional construction markets primarily across the United States, with operations concentrated in states including Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Oklahoma.