Baupost Group LLC MA Has $157.49 Million Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Baupost Group LLC MA lifted its position in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 27.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 638,223 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 137,950 shares during the quarter. Eagle Materials accounts for approximately 4.6% of Baupost Group LLC MA's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Baupost Group LLC MA owned about 1.92% of Eagle Materials worth $157,488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 53.0% during 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. Huntington National Bank increased 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 purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter valued at about $81,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Eagle Materials by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the construction company's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 676 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eagle Materials news, Director Michael R. Nicolais purchased 310 shares of Eagle Materials stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.36 per share, for a total transaction of $79,781.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,655 shares of the company's stock, valued at $940,650.80. The trade was a 9.27 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on EXP shares. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Eagle Materials in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $242.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital cut their price target on Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup lowered Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Eagle Materials currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $279.40.

Eagle Materials Stock Performance

EXP stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $216.78. 352,364 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 332,942. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $223.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $258.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.61 and a 52 week high of $321.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 1.25.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $3.59 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials's payout ratio is currently 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.