AXQ Capital LP Buys Shares of 1,278 Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,278 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth about $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted 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 valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $170,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $286.40.

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Eagle Materials Price Performance

NYSE:EXP traded down $3.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $225.77. 273,780 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,222. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $237.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $265.73. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.44 and a 1-year high of $321.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 20.91%. Research analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.