Federated Hermes Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 594,899 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 55,578 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned approximately 1.79% of Eagle Materials worth $146,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Eagle Materials by 78.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,948 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $10,915,000 after acquiring an additional 16,645 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth $8,890,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Eagle Materials by 242.4% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,789 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,922,000 after purchasing an additional 5,514 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,133 shares of the construction company's stock worth $499,111,000 after buying an additional 652,836 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the 4th quarter worth $38,115,000. 96.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eagle Materials Stock Up 2.4 %

Eagle Materials stock traded up $5.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $221.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 99,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,983. 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 $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81 and a beta of 1.25. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $228.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.04. Eagle Materials Inc. has a 52-week low of $201.61 and a 52-week high of $321.93.

Remove Ads

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current year.

Eagle Materials Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insider Activity at Eagle Materials

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on EXP. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $242.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup lowered shares of Eagle Materials from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $334.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight investment 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $279.40.

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.