Franklin Resources Inc. Has $48.75 Million Position in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Eagle Materials Inc. (NYSE:EXP - Free Report) by 21.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 197,569 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 34,706 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.59% of Eagle Materials worth $48,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Materials by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 6,644 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,639,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Materials by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 37,349 shares of the construction company's stock worth $9,216,000 after acquiring an additional 11,643 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Eagle Materials by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 10,609 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Eagle Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $1,829,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Materials during the fourth quarter worth approximately $93,672,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.07% of the company's stock.

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Eagle Materials Trading Down 3.7 %

NYSE:EXP traded down $8.34 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $216.84. The stock had a trading volume of 205,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,432. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 1.25. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $228.83 and its 200-day moving average is $261.51. Eagle Materials Inc. has a one year low of $201.61 and a one year high of $321.93.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Eagle Materials Inc. will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Eagle Materials's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EXP. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Eagle Materials in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $242.00 price target for the company. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Eagle Materials in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Eagle Materials from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Eagle Materials from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Eagle Materials from $280.00 to $245.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.