Aviva PLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Aviva PLC increased its holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 139.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,105 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,227 shares during the period. Aviva PLC's holdings in Eagle Materials were worth $519,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in EXP. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Eagle Materials by 53.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 205 shares of the construction company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 154.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 237 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In other news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. 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 on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EXP traded down $3.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $223.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 256,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,976. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $226.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.25. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.61 and a 52 week high of $321.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.97 by ($0.38). Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials's payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

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.