Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Trims Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd reduced its position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 96.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 518 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 12,460 shares during the period. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EXP. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $81,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 155.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 434 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 23.5% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 630 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of EXP stock traded down $0.81 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $253.02. 136,446 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 303,378. Eagle Materials Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $211.44 and a fifty-two week high of $321.93. The firm has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $263.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $270.46.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.6 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EXP. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Eagle Materials from $277.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital cut shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $296.80.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In related news, CEO Michael Haack sold 11,888 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.50, for a total transaction of $3,691,224.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 85,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,644,315.50. The trade was a 12.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tony Thompson sold 1,401 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.00, for a total transaction of $439,914.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,148,568. The trade was a 9.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,866 shares of company stock valued at $5,205,311 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.