Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $279.40.

EXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought 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 approximately $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eagle Materials

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXP. Private Trust Co. NA increased 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 valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in Eagle Materials by 154.8% in 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 period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 233.1% during the fourth quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 443 shares of the construction company's stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $125,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Price Performance

Shares of Eagle Materials stock traded down $5.81 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $211.48. 614,445 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 326,295. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $232.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $263.18. The stock has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 1.25. Eagle Materials has a 12 month low of $204.02 and a 12 month high of $321.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.76.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share 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 forecast that Eagle Materials will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Eagle Materials's payout ratio is 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.