Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 45.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,349 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,643 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Eagle Materials worth $9,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Eagle Materials by 60.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $499,111,000 after purchasing an additional 652,836 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 4th quarter valued at about $93,672,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $38,115,000. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Eagle Materials during the third quarter worth about $34,846,000. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Eagle Materials during the third quarter valued at approximately $22,552,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $940,650.80. This trade represents a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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. 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

EXP stock traded down $11.11 during trading on Friday, hitting $217.54. The stock had a trading volume of 914,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 325,142. Eagle Materials Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.44 and a twelve month high of $321.93. The company's 50-day moving average price is $233.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $263.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.54 and a beta of 1.37.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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, research analysts predict that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

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.