Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $307.11.

EXP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Eagle Materials from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Stephens lifted their price objective on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Eagle Materials from $309.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $252.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st.

Insider Activity

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 3,577 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.30, for a total transaction of $1,074,173.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $330,330. The trade was a 76.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 85,811 shares in the company, valued at $26,644,315.50. The trade was a 12.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,866 shares of company stock worth $5,482,931 over the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Eagle Materials by 6.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 162,863 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $48,435,000 after buying an additional 10,459 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,123 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $898,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,846,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $906,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Eagle Materials by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,981 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $858,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EXP traded up $2.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $308.92. 117,446 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 303,193. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Eagle Materials has a 52 week low of $178.42 and a 52 week high of $321.93. The company's 50 day moving average price is $295.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $259.97.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The construction company reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.75 by ($0.44). The firm had revenue of $623.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.46 million. Eagle Materials had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 21.32%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Materials will post 15.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.06%.

About Eagle Materials

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.