Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 1,301 Shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 42,718 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,301 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.13% of Eagle Materials worth $10,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EXP. Private Trust Co. NA grew 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 valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth approximately $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company's stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth $170,000. Institutional investors own 96.07% of the company's stock.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 1.3 %

EXP traded up $2.93 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $226.71. 309,595 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 331,273. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 1 year low of $201.61 and a 1 year 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $227.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.46.

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

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Eagle Materials

In related news, Director Michael R. Nicolais bought 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.36 per share, with a total value 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 price target for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Citigroup lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $279.40.

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.